Spanish Testament
Encyclopedia
Spanish Testament is a 1937 book by Arthur Koestler
, describing his experiences during the Spanish Civil War
. Part II of the book was subsequently published on its own, with minor modifications, under the title Dialogue with Death
(see below). Koestler made three trips to Spain during the civil war and on the third occasion he was captured, sentenced to death and imprisoned by the rebel forces of General Franco
. Koestler was at that time working on behalf of the Comintern
and as an agent of the Loyalist Government's official news agency, using for cover accreditation to the British daily News Chronicle
.
The book was published in London
by Victor Gollancz
Ltd. The 'Contents' of the book is in two parts: Part I is Comintern
propaganda, divided into IX chapters, each with its own title. Part II, titled Dialogue with Death
, describes Koestler’s prison experiences under sentence of death. This part was written in the late autumn of 1937 immediately after his release from prison, when the events were still vivid in his memory.
In the second volume of his autobiography The Invisible Writing
, written by Koestler fifteen years later, the following footnote appears:
AUTHOR'S FOREWORD
PART I
I. Journey to Rebel Headquarters
II. Historic Retrospect
III. The Outbreak
IV. The Background
V. The Church Militant
VI. Propaganda
VII. The Heroes of the Alcázar
VIII. Matdrid
IX. The Last Days of Malaga
PART II
Dialogue with Death
EPILOGUE
in southern Spain when the Republican forces withdrew from it. He had only narrowly escaped arrest by Franco
’s army on his previous sojourn into rebel territory, when on his second day in rebel-held Seville
he was recognised by a former colleague of his from Ullstein
’s in Berlin, who knew that Koestler was a Communist. This time he was less fortunate and was arrested, summarily sentenced to death and sent off to imprisonment in Seville.
The second half of the book is devoted to Koestler's time in the prison, in the company of numerous political prisoners - most of them Spanish Republicans. Prisoners lived under the constant threat of summary execution without trial, without warning and without even any evident logic in the choice of victims. Every morning, prisoners would wake to find that some of their number had been executed during the night.
Incongruously, however, daily routine in the prison until the moment of execution was quite comfortable, and in fact conditions were better than in many British jails at the time. As Koestler notes, the Seville Prison was established just a few years before, during the brief flowering of the Second Spanish Republic
, when liberal reformers wanted to make of it a model for the humane treatment of prisoners. The Falange
on their taking over the city made little change to the prison regulations and routine which they found and even kept on much of the original staff - except for adding their execution squads in the prison courtyard.
The contradiction between relatively humane daily treatment and the constant threat of summary execution forms a central theme of the book. It seems to have created a feeling of dislocation and disorientation, and Koestler spent much of his time in some kind of mystical passivity. He alternated between using the well-stocked prison library, to whose books he was given access, and going on hunger strikes.
After some time, it became evident to Koestler and his fellow-prisoners that he was after all in an exceptional situation and that his captors were reluctant to carry out the execution order against him - evidently, though he did not know it at the time, because the British Foreign Office was taking an interest in his fate.
Koestler quotes a message he got from three other prisoners, Republican militiamen: "Dear comrade foreigner, we three are also condemned to death, and they will shoot us tonight or tomorrow. But you may survive; and if you ever come out you must tell the world about all those who kill us, because we want liberty and no Hitler."
The three were indeed executed shortly afterwards. Koestler considered the book, written after he was at last released and returned to Britain, as their testament and that of his other fellow prisoners who did not survive.
, published in 1941.
Arthur Koestler
Arthur Koestler CBE was a Hungarian author and journalist. Koestler was born in Budapest and, apart from his early school years, was educated in Austria...
, describing his experiences during the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
. Part II of the book was subsequently published on its own, with minor modifications, under the title Dialogue with Death
Dialogue with Death
Dialogue with Death, a book by Arthur Koestler, was originally published in 1937 as a section of his book Spanish Testament, in which he describes his experiences during the Spanish Civil War...
(see below). Koestler made three trips to Spain during the civil war and on the third occasion he was captured, sentenced to death and imprisoned by the rebel forces of General Franco
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...
. Koestler was at that time working on behalf of the Comintern
Comintern
The Communist International, abbreviated as Comintern, also known as the Third International, was an international communist organization initiated in Moscow during March 1919...
and as an agent of the Loyalist Government's official news agency, using for cover accreditation to the British daily News Chronicle
News Chronicle
The News Chronicle was a British daily newspaper. It ceased publication on 17 October 1960, being absorbed into the Daily Mail. Its offices were in Bouverie Street, off Fleet Street, London, EC4Y 8DP, England.-Daily Chronicle:...
.
The book was published in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
by Victor Gollancz
Victor Gollancz
Sir Victor Gollancz was a British publisher, socialist, and humanitarian.-Early life:Born in Maida Vale, London, he was the son of a wholesale jeweller and nephew of Rabbi Professor Sir Hermann Gollancz and Professor Sir Israel Gollancz; after being educated at St Paul's School, London and taking...
Ltd. The 'Contents' of the book is in two parts: Part I is Comintern
Comintern
The Communist International, abbreviated as Comintern, also known as the Third International, was an international communist organization initiated in Moscow during March 1919...
propaganda, divided into IX chapters, each with its own title. Part II, titled Dialogue with Death
Dialogue with Death
Dialogue with Death, a book by Arthur Koestler, was originally published in 1937 as a section of his book Spanish Testament, in which he describes his experiences during the Spanish Civil War...
, describes Koestler’s prison experiences under sentence of death. This part was written in the late autumn of 1937 immediately after his release from prison, when the events were still vivid in his memory.
In the second volume of his autobiography The Invisible Writing
The Invisible Writing
The Invisible Writing: The Second Volume Of An Autobiography, 1932-40 is a book by Arthur Koestler.It follows on from Arrow in the Blue, published a mere two years earlier, and which described his life from his birth in 1905, to 1931, and deals with a much shorter period, a mere eight years...
, written by Koestler fifteen years later, the following footnote appears:
Contents
INTRODUCTION (by Katharine Atholl)AUTHOR'S FOREWORD
PART I
I. Journey to Rebel Headquarters
II. Historic Retrospect
III. The Outbreak
IV. The Background
V. The Church Militant
VI. Propaganda
VII. The Heroes of the Alcázar
VIII. Matdrid
IX. The Last Days of Malaga
PART II
Dialogue with Death
EPILOGUE
Background
Koestler had taken an ill-considered decision to stay at MálagaMálaga
Málaga is a city and a municipality in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia, Spain. With a population of 568,507 in 2010, it is the second most populous city of Andalusia and the sixth largest in Spain. This is the southernmost large city in Europe...
in southern Spain when the Republican forces withdrew from it. He had only narrowly escaped arrest by Franco
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...
’s army on his previous sojourn into rebel territory, when on his second day in rebel-held Seville
Seville
Seville is the artistic, historic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level...
he was recognised by a former colleague of his from Ullstein
Ullstein-Verlag
The Ullstein Verlag was founded by Leopold Ullstein in 1877 at Berlin and is one of the largest publishing companies of Germany. It published newspapers like B.Z. and Berliner Morgenpost and books through its subsidiaries Ullstein Buchverlage and Propyläen.The newspaper publishing branch was taken...
’s in Berlin, who knew that Koestler was a Communist. This time he was less fortunate and was arrested, summarily sentenced to death and sent off to imprisonment in Seville.
The second half of the book is devoted to Koestler's time in the prison, in the company of numerous political prisoners - most of them Spanish Republicans. Prisoners lived under the constant threat of summary execution without trial, without warning and without even any evident logic in the choice of victims. Every morning, prisoners would wake to find that some of their number had been executed during the night.
Incongruously, however, daily routine in the prison until the moment of execution was quite comfortable, and in fact conditions were better than in many British jails at the time. As Koestler notes, the Seville Prison was established just a few years before, during the brief flowering of the Second Spanish Republic
Second Spanish Republic
The Second Spanish Republic was the government of Spain between April 14 1931, and its destruction by a military rebellion, led by General Francisco Franco....
, when liberal reformers wanted to make of it a model for the humane treatment of prisoners. The Falange
Falange
The Spanish Phalanx of the Assemblies of the National Syndicalist Offensive , known simply as the Falange, is the name assigned to several political movements and parties dating from the 1930s, most particularly the original fascist movement in Spain. The word means phalanx formation in Spanish....
on their taking over the city made little change to the prison regulations and routine which they found and even kept on much of the original staff - except for adding their execution squads in the prison courtyard.
The contradiction between relatively humane daily treatment and the constant threat of summary execution forms a central theme of the book. It seems to have created a feeling of dislocation and disorientation, and Koestler spent much of his time in some kind of mystical passivity. He alternated between using the well-stocked prison library, to whose books he was given access, and going on hunger strikes.
After some time, it became evident to Koestler and his fellow-prisoners that he was after all in an exceptional situation and that his captors were reluctant to carry out the execution order against him - evidently, though he did not know it at the time, because the British Foreign Office was taking an interest in his fate.
Koestler quotes a message he got from three other prisoners, Republican militiamen: "Dear comrade foreigner, we three are also condemned to death, and they will shoot us tonight or tomorrow. But you may survive; and if you ever come out you must tell the world about all those who kill us, because we want liberty and no Hitler."
The three were indeed executed shortly afterwards. Koestler considered the book, written after he was at last released and returned to Britain, as their testament and that of his other fellow prisoners who did not survive.
Influence on later work
Koestler's prison experience may have contributed psychological insight for his subsequent best-selling anti-Communist novel Darkness at NoonDarkness at Noon
Darkness at Noon is a novel by the Hungarian-born British novelist Arthur Koestler, first published in 1940...
, published in 1941.