Campo Cerrado

A contemporary of Lorca and Bunuel in Spain’s Second Republic, Max Aub escaped into a life of exile after General Franco seized Barcelona. A playwright as well as a novelist, he brings the period alive through vibrant dialogue and a story that navigates the factional intrigues that eventually erupted onto the streets in violence. The protagonist of the first novel is Rafael Lopez Serrador, whose coming of age in Barcelona introduces a cast from all walks of city life – Catalan nationalists, anarchists, Falangists, government ministers and showgirls. Just as central a character is Barcelona itself, lovingly depicted. Rafael’s adventures bring him into contact with the forces that were to destroy the Republic and determine the bloody course of the Spanish Civil War.