Madrid 1937

Few topics in 20th century history generate as much interest as the Spanish Civil War. These letter from the Abraham Lincoln Brigade take us back to a time when 2800 Americans took up arms and confronted Hitler's Condor Legion, Mussolini's Black Shirts, and Franco's fascist calvary on the battlefields of Spain. Here are their combat experiences, the love letters they wrote under fire, friendships formed among themselves and with their Spanish comrades, and reports of Madrid and Barcelona undergoing history's first saturation bombing of civilian targets. It was the eve of World War II, and these men and women saw first-hand the danger facing the world. I adrid 1937 captures for the first time the thoughts, words and dreams of those who fought.
More than a collection of separate letters, "Madrid 1937" gathers letters from many hands to tell a group story. Richly illustrated with over 50 color and black and white plates, this chronicle enables the reader to travel with the volunteers through France and Spain; visit the beseiged city of Madrid and walk the streets of Barcelona under fascist bombardment; experience the chaos of battle and the excitement of celebrations behind the lines; stand beside nurses and doctors as they struggle to save the lives of the wounded; and encounter famous writers such as Ernest Hemingway and Langston Hughes. "Madrid 1937" tells a story of epic proportion, the struggle of a volunteer army who chose to risk their lives in the struggle against Fascism.

Cary Nelson is Jubilee Professor of Liberal Arts & Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Jefferson Hendricks is Associate Professor of English at Centenary College of Louisiana. Their previous work together includes the coedited Collected Poems of the Abraham Lincoln Battalion's poet laureate, Edwin Rolfe.