The re-creation of the Spanish Civil War in recent Irish historical fiction

Lázaro, Alberto (author)

The Spanish Civil War (1936–1939) captured worldwide interest, generating a wealth of literature across multiple genres. In Ireland, this conflict sparked fervent debate, reflecting the nation’s own history of civil strife, with Irish volunteers joining both sides of the Spanish conflict. While conventional narratives often oversimplify the war as a clash of opposing ideologies, certain authors endeavour to offer nuanced portrayals that transcend binary interpretations. Drawing upon Kate McLoughlin’s insights into war representation, as delineated in Authoring War (2011),and Laura Saxton’s exploration of “accuracy” and “authenticity” in historical fiction, this article analyses three recent Irish historical novels –Dermot Bolger’s The Family on Paradise Pier (2005), Maurice Leitch’s Gone to Earth (2019), and Anamaría Crowe Serrano’s In the Dark (2021) – to explore how they re-create the complexities of the Spanish Civil War, examining their thematic depth, historical accuracy and narrative authenticity.

• Language: English
• Keywords: Spanish Civil War, Dermot Bolger, Maurice Leitch, Anamaría Crowe Serrano, historical fiction
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FF - Faculty of Arts
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Publication date: 01.01.2025
• Year: 2025
• Number of pages: Str. 83-96
• Numbering: Vol. 22, no. 2
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-180368
• UDC: 821.111(417).09-311.6:94(460)”1936/1939”
• ISSN on article: 1581-8918
• DOI: 10.4312/elope.22.2.83-96
• COBISS.SI-ID: 265809667
• Publication date in RUL: 06.03.2026

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: ELOPE : English language overseas perspectives and enquiries
• Shortened title: ELOPE
• Publisher: Slovensko društvo za angleške študije, Slovensko društvo za angleške študije, Znanstvena založba Filozofske fakultete Univerze v Ljubljani, Založba Univerze v Ljubljani
• ISSN: 1581-8918
• COBISS.SI-ID: 212890112

Licences

• License: CC BY-SA 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
• Description: This Creative Commons license is very similar to the regular Attribution license, but requires the release of all derivative works under this same license.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Title: Španska državljanska vojna v sodobnem irskem zgodovinskem romanu

Abstract

Španska državljanska vojna (1936–1939) je pritegnila svetovno zanimanje in spodbudila nastanek bogatega nabora literarnih del različnih žanrov. Na Irskem je ta konflikt sprožil vroče razprave, ki so odražale lastno zgodovino državljanskih sporov, saj so se irski prostovoljci pridružili obema stranema v španskem konfliktu. Medtem ko konvencionalne pripovedi vojno pogosto poenostavljeno obravnavajo kot spopad nasprotujočih si ideologij, se nekateri avtorji trudijo izpostaviti nianse, ki presegajo binarne interpretacije. Na podlagi razprave o upodabljanju vojne Authoring War (2011) Kate McLoughlin in raziskave Laure Saxton o »točnosti« in »avtentičnosti« v zgodovinskih romanih, ta članek analizira tri sodobne irske zgodovinske romane: The Family on Paradise Pier (2005) Dermota Bolgerja, Gone to Earth(2019) Maurica Leitcha in In the Dark (2021) Anamaríe Crowe Serrano. Namen članka je pokazati, kako ti romani na novo zarisujejo kompleksnost španske državljanske vojne, ter preučiti njihovo tematsko poglobljenost, zgodovinsko točnost in avtentičnost pripovedi.

• Keywords: španska državljanska vojna, Dermot Bolger, Maurice Leitch, Anamaría Crowe Serrano, zgodovinski roman