Guernica by Dave Boling
The painting which I am currently working on will be called Guernica. By means of it, I express my abhorrence of the race that has sunk Spain in an ocean of pain and death.
Pablo Picasso
Like the great artist, Boling painted his sprawling mural as a fictional piece, emphasising how closely-knit and struggling Basque families were irrevocably disfigured but not completely destroyed by the Spanish civil war. The story inevitably shows un-necessary human suffering and loss coupled with acts of heroism and amazing fortitude of the nobler characters who miraculously survive the atrocities during the destruction of Guernica in 1937.
Even before 1937 Picasso wanted to shatter art and reshape it. Sadly, the opportunity came and in his rage he created his famous painting. He appears in the story and expresses his anger verbally to German soldiers as well as through his paintings.
Boling's characters are inspirational, solid, good and noble. Not perfect by any means but strong enough to survive the traumas of losing their loved ones, homes and livelihoods. They strive towards self-sufficiency and are family-oriented. They loved life and dancing seemed to be an important part of their lives until it was banned by Franco. The women were sensual and their dance movements were erotic:
Miren and Mariangeles began spinning in mirrored orbits, doing triple kicks and turns, side kicks and turns, arms upraised and fingers snapping. With each spin, their skirts rose outward only to gather tightly when they stopped and reversed, creating swirling eddies of red satin.
Angeles Ansotegui dies shortly after giving birth to her third son, Xabier. Her husband, Pascual is so devastated by her death that he loses the will to live and eventually disappears into oblivion. His eldest on, Justo, at 15, takes on a paternal role and takes charge of the farm in Errotabarri, Guernica. The boys grow up as orphans and surprisingly, thrive.
Justo meets Mariangeles Onati and the chemistry is strong in spite of his arrogant and self-inflated ego. His brother, Josepe, became a successful fisherman and Xabier was encouraged to join the seminary where he played a significant role in the church and in politics.
Imperfectly matched, Justo and Mariangeles were enamoured with each other and the birth of Miren complemented their happy union.
Our second major family is the Navarros, typical fishermen. eEuardo (Dodo) is high spirited, outspoken and vents his anger against the Guardia Civil who are pro-Franco supporters. His brother Miguel is drawn into a skirmish when Dodo is accused of being subversive and is physically threatened. He defends Dodo and both boys go into hiding fearing arrest. Ironically, it is Xmas time, a time of peace. Even nature sympathises as the wind blew icy needles accompanied by the arthritic groaning of the frozen pipes. Dodo is taken to St Jean-de-Luz where he heroically risks his life in smuggling people into Spain then onto Portugal or Gibraltar.
Miguel is sent to Guernica where he learns the art of carpentry and romantically falls head over heels with Miren, Justo's daughter. Justo is interestingly described as a cross between a Catalonian bull and a cave bear. He is over-bearing and his over-protective nature towards Miren makes it virtually impossible for courting. However Miguel is not put off and confronts Justo about his father's undying love for his wife as well as the story about castrating the sheep. Surprisingly, Justo gives his approval to a marriage and the men forge a strong relationship.
Miguel, another heroic Basque, introduced an element of eroticism into his work because of his love for Miren.
He created finer products, with greater detail and polish with lines that were subtly sensuous.
Miguel and Miren were tender lovers, fully transparent.
He was power, she was grace. He solid, she liquid and once their marriage was consummated: They were both liquid.
Fulfillment arrived with the birth of Catalina. Domestic bliss is short-lived and from time to time Boling drops strong hints of revolts and arrests as the civil war rages and moves dangerously close to Bilbao then Guernica.
Xabier counsels Jose Antonio Aguirre who became the first Basque president and we learn a lot about the bloodthirsty rebels, hungry for Basque blood, the tortures and executions through his confessions.
Lieutenant Colonel Wolfram von Richthofen was one of the many Germans supporting Franco although he disliked the Spanish. To him they were a nation of bumbling procrastinators. He lost no sleep over masterminding the complete annihilation of Guernica. Arrogant. Wicked. Without a conscience. After so much death and destruction he looked back at his handiwork with admiration and wrote:
Simply terrific.
Social conditions were appalling.Rationing. Hunger, stealing. Suspicion of informers. Arrests. People disappearing. Out of the depths of despair comes hope. Ordinary people with extraordinary powers of resilience and strength mentally as well as physically. It is likely Boling wanted us to admire these people and learn something from their ability to keep going.
On a bench of land to the west, the symbolic oak of Guernica stands rigid and undisturbed. Somehow the rebels and Germans didn't damage the tree, though little else escaped their influences.
Symbolic of liberation and democracy. Unmoved. It seems that somethings are indestructible including man's spirit and determination for freedom.
Publisher: Picador. ISN: 978-0330-460668.
Greetings! It's a bit weird replying on such an old post. I'm a journalist and I read Guernica last year. Your review is very interesting to me because I enjoyed this novel dearly, so much so that I established contact with the author just to thank him for such a great book! I believe this line: "Boling wanted us to admire these people and learn something from them(...)" Is spot on, regarding this book. The book is great and so is your review. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteGood to hear from you. Dave has seen my article review and liked it. I have now read three books based on the Spanish civil war and reviewed them. I like the blend of history and fiction. I have seen Picasso's work of art and reading the book served as a painful reminder of the history i studied as a child that probably had little impact on me at the time. Obviously that is not the case now and I experience some of the horror through reading about it. The writing is the hardest thing because it is an incredibly emotional and draining experience.I am doing the reviews so I can imagine how difficult it must be for people like Boling. These stories need to be told and retold. I firmly believe that.
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