Customer Reviews

Heart Of Spain: Robert Capa's Photographs of the Spanish Civil War

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This is one of the best and most moving combat photo volumnes I have seen. Capa is a genius artist with the camera, compassionate toward humanity and as courageous as any soldier on the field of battle. All these three qualities jump at you with the turn of every page. There is no saftey of the Zoom lens here. The comments from the reviewer of the DC are absurd. This book is about humanity at war. Whether or not the subject matter happens to be from one army or another is least of the concerns. I have seen many fine photos of the German Army in combat and have never viewed them as propaganda nor do I feel any sympathy for their objectives. It is about the essence of capturing a man in his most important minute of his life.

Capa is considered one of the fathers of modern combat photography. These photographs clearly verify that fact. The modern combat photographers that have come after were all aware of Capa's work and if they didn't overtly copy his style, they certainly used it as a foundation. The potency of these photographs is not so much the action they sometimes capture, but in the faces set in the multitude of back drops of war. The viciousness and tragedy of this conflict hotly radiate out of some of these photographs. Others coolly reflect despair and fear. The book is at the same time a statement about war and a valuable historical document.

Magnificent pictures and excellent related texts. Lyrical, yet terribly realistic, view of the Spanish Civil war. Unforgivable portraits of men, women, children who achieve here a kind of eternal life and purpose (you really wonder what happened to each of them and regret you didn't know them personally, and will never do so). Dignity, beauty and love throughout the book. Wish only the accompanying texts, particularly the poems, would also have been provided in their original language, beside their English translations. More powerful, as a Historical document, than any TV footage ever will be. Must read and revisit!

I am neither politically naive and historically ignorant enough . therefore I refused to give any invective to the Franco camp and pay any homage to international volunteers and left camp. However, two reviewers' totally ignorant reviews ,that had nothing to do with the artistic quality of Capa's pictures, simply infuriate me. Can you guys just cool off a bit , rather than showing off your ignorance and lack of logic? In light of propaganda, you overstated the political commitment of Capa , who was clearly symphasized with republican cause ,but never been fanatic. He was not a fanatic like Andre Marti or blatant romantic liar like Marloux. Taking purely objective position , especially in the war like the Spanish civil war is impossible, but Capa actually handled that difficulty decently. What you see from numerous pictures are not fanatical Falange , Calists , and Africanos or martial virility of German soldiers in Legion Condor but tired , haggard, and gaunt working class volunteers and Spanish conscripts and ordinary spanish people during the dreadful war.It's superb photo book with a great historical value.

Is a very interesting book, whith "beautifull" images in a very good print.

I have never felt compelled to write a review of a book for Amazon. But after purchasing this book and then reading some of the comments of fellow buyers, I was so moved. Perhaps I exaggerate when I suggest that all art is political, but certainly most art created documenting this horrible war had a political bent. Such is the nature of human beings responding to unspeakable horrors. Still today, some people leave flowers on Franco's grave; some spit. But is Orwell's Homage to Catalonia or Picasso's Guernica any less a work of art for its political bent? A rhetorical question, but I think not. Capa was an artist as much as Orwell or Picasso. Regardless of one's perspective between the virtues of Fascism or Totalitarian Communism, what this book so eloquently displays is the horrors of war and its toll on a civilian population. For that reason along, it is worthy of a highest recommendation.

This book shows the heart of the Spainish people as they fought for their freedom. One could ask, "What Price Freedom?" Robert Capa lost his one true love when Gerda Taro was killed. To read through this book, to look at the pictures, is to look into the heart of Robert Capa.

Bob we all miss you.

The Spanish Civil War has been called the most lied about event of the 20th Century. Capa's photographs are powerful, but just another addition to the long line of western artists and intellectuals who surrendered their minds and talents to the service of Stalin and the Comintern during the 1930s. It is a shame that the myth of the good "republican" cause in Spain continues to be perpetuated.

This collection of photos are important for the sake of history but must be evaluated in the proper context: Capa and the Loyalists sought to establish a Stalinist state in Spain, not a "democracy". The creation of a Stalinist state would have brought terror, murder, etc. upon the Spanish people and would have destroyed the country. I believe that the record of history (and my own personal experience as a Spaniard) has proven that the Nationalist victory was the best thing that could have happened to Spain at the time. Just look at the atrocities (tens of millions of dead, terror, etc) the Communists committed in Russia, Eastern Europe, Vietnam, and on and on and on; who in their right mind would wish that on anyone? Franco punished some of the loyalists but the overwhelming majority were welcomed back into society. Now that the Soviet Union has fallen and that ridiculous "philosophy" of "communism" has been proven to be one of the worst disasters visited upon mankind those who tried to force that evil upon Spain during the Civil War should hang their heads in shame. Viva Espana!