The now infamous entry in Spain’s recently published biographical dictionary describes General Francisco Franco as a courageous figure who set up an “authoritarian, but not totalitarian” regime. Written by 86-year-old historian Luis Suárez, the entry paints Western Europe’s longest-serving dictator in a favourable light, extolling his military prowess. This account of Franco’s reign differs sharply from that outlined by British historian Paul Preston in his latest book, The Spanish Holocaust: Inquisition and Extermination during the Civil War and After. In fact, Professor Suárez makes no mention of Francoist atrocities at all. The furore sparked by Suárez’s dictionary entry is … [Read more...] about Spain’s conflicting memories refuse to fade
Deirdre Finnerty
About Deirdre Finnerty
Deirdre is a PhD candidate in Hispanic Studies on a Visiting Fellowship to the Institute for Germanic and Romance Studies, University of London. Previously, she has lived and worked in Spain and she has also worked as a Spanish tutor and lecturer at the University of Limerick, Ireland.