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A Death In Zamora
This book describes a son's search in the 1980s Spain for his birth mother's story through interviews with family members and childhood friends. With his wife Judith as translator, the author returned to Zamora 48 years after he and his sister were evacuated from the fascist zone to France after their mother had been imprisoned for several months and then shot. First published hard cover in 1989 by The University of New Mexico Press to reviews in the New York Times and other dailies.
332 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 1989
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 1, 2008
I met Ramon working on the MorningStar play, and have really enjoyed the collaboration between him and the playwright, Nick, who is a long time friend. It was only after the play ended that a cast member left this book at my house, and I picked it up and began to read it by chance. I cannot imagine what it would be like to grow up not knowing your own mother's story, but I can now imagine the journey of discovery shared here in these pages. A very powerful, moving and yet not self important account of one man finding his personal history and revealing the Spanish Civil War through the eyes of its people in the process.
November 13, 2010
This book recounts the very moving story of a man who goes to find out what he can about his mother's assassination by the fascists in Spain in 1936. One can only admire his courage in looking for the painful truth. As virtually a primary source document I guess I shouldn't have expected it to be well written; but the pedestrian way in which Barayon relates events made getting through it difficult. Nonetheless, it opened my eyes to the brutalities of the Spanish Civil War in a way that I had not previously imagined. The film Butterfly approaches the same more poetically. I'm glad I followed up on Helen Graham's suggestions.
September 3, 2019
Compelling narrative about the author's search for the truth about his mother's death in 1936, in the early days of the Spanish Civil War, when humanity and loyalties were tested to their limits. He tells us what happened as the information unfolds in his investigation, in unflinching detail, with a desire for absolute truth. Not an easy task so many decades after the events occurred.
Being that we're planning a trip to Spain this year, the narrative did help me to better understand the Spanish psyche, particularly since the Franco regime stayed in power well after the end of World War II, only ending after his death in 1975. What that means is that unlike in Germany, there were no trials, no closure to a country's cultural upheaval by a fascist dictator. That has to have a particularly powerful influence on every person of Spanish descent. I find myself humbled that I hadn't fully realized this before, though with the reading of this, Orwell's Homage to Catalonia and Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms, I can sense a theme.
I'm looking forward to more fully immersing myself into Spanish culture later this year. I have much respect for the author and his family through this authentic and richly powerful narrative.
Being that we're planning a trip to Spain this year, the narrative did help me to better understand the Spanish psyche, particularly since the Franco regime stayed in power well after the end of World War II, only ending after his death in 1975. What that means is that unlike in Germany, there were no trials, no closure to a country's cultural upheaval by a fascist dictator. That has to have a particularly powerful influence on every person of Spanish descent. I find myself humbled that I hadn't fully realized this before, though with the reading of this, Orwell's Homage to Catalonia and Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms, I can sense a theme.
I'm looking forward to more fully immersing myself into Spanish culture later this year. I have much respect for the author and his family through this authentic and richly powerful narrative.
August 24, 2023
El asesinato de la mujer de Ramón J. Sender contada por su hijo más de cuarenta años más tarde. Un ejercicio de búsqueda de una madre truncada por la sinrazón y maldad que reinó en la Guerra Civil Española. Amparo Barayón fue acusada de "espionaje" y entregada a sus verdugos por su propio cuñado y asesinada sin juicio por huestes falangistas con la aquiescencia del Gobernador. La verdadera causa de su muerte, sin juicio por supuesto, fue que no pudieron matar a su marido, el escritor anarquista Sender. El estilo del autor es un poco desordenado pero lleno de buenas intenciones.
PD. En el libro se menciona al doctor Pedro Arenal, encargado de visitar a las reclusas de la cárcel de Zamora, y que no quiso curar a una presa de nombre Pilar Fidalgo porque "la mejor cura para la mujer del sinvergüenza de Almoina es la muerte". Pues bien, su nieta manifestó en una entrevista en la Opinión de Zamora en el año 2004, confundiendo a Pilar con Amparo Barayón, que su padre no la dejó morir, que ya estaba muy mal porque "estaba sifilítica". A veces son peores los nietos miserables que los abuelos cómplices.
PD. En el libro se menciona al doctor Pedro Arenal, encargado de visitar a las reclusas de la cárcel de Zamora, y que no quiso curar a una presa de nombre Pilar Fidalgo porque "la mejor cura para la mujer del sinvergüenza de Almoina es la muerte". Pues bien, su nieta manifestó en una entrevista en la Opinión de Zamora en el año 2004, confundiendo a Pilar con Amparo Barayón, que su padre no la dejó morir, que ya estaba muy mal porque "estaba sifilítica". A veces son peores los nietos miserables que los abuelos cómplices.
October 21, 2017
This is a compelling book, tho’ far from easy reading.
Highly recommended.
Highly recommended.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews