Description
Book SynopsisHer fame seemed guaranteed by the compelling story of her life. She had been an aristocrat turned Communist, a celebrated author, and an international political figure whose acquaintances and collaborators included Stalin, Eleanor Roosevelt, Ernest Hemingway, Tina Modotti, Vittorio Vidali, and Anna Seghers among many others. Yet, surprisingly, instead of remaining a heroine of the Republic, Constancia de la Mora's memory somehow faded from Republican history. This books sets out to explore the life of this privileged woman who unexpectedly cast in her lot with that of the Spanish people.
Trade Review"By addressing the political and sociological meanings of Constancia de la Mora's communism, the author opens up further audiences among historians of twentieth-century Spain while her exploration of how, why and with what consequences de la Mora then concealed this allegiance embeds her story in the domestic political history of twentieth-century America with its central mobilising narrative of anticommunism." -- Professor Helen Graham, Dept. of History, Royal Holloway, University of London
"De la Mora is clearly one of the most exciting female figures from the Spanish Civil War. Many issues about De la Mora's life and work have remained a mystery. Dr Fox sets out to unravel those mysteries and to elucidate, through her meticulous and brilliant research, the intricate political intrigues that affected De la Mora's life. Of special interest is the provenance of her excellent autobiography on the war, In Place of Splendor, one of the most compelling memory texts about the war. Fox's surprising findings about the authorship of the book and other mysteries about De la Mora's political activities should provoke much discussion." -- Shirley Mangini, Professor Emeritus
Table of ContentsPreface; Acknowledgements; Introduction; Shot at Dawn'; The Early Activities of Ex-Service Charitable Organisations; The Second World War: Casualties of Dunkirk, North Africa and Italy; The Second World War: Casualties of the Far East and of Europe; Demobilisation, Resettlement and the Military Hospitals; Other Conflicts: Korea, Cyprus, Malaya, Aden; Help is Available -- but is it enough?; More Recent Conflicts: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Civilian Tragedies; Treatment of the Mentally Disabled; A Wide Range of Cases; What Can and Cannot be Done for the Mentally Disabled Ex-Serviceman; The Lighter Side of the Work; Select Bibliography; Appendix A: Military and other Terms and Abbreviations; Appendix B: Medical Terms and Abbreviations; Appendix C: Useful Addresses -- Where to go for Help; Index.
