Audiobooks by Giles Tremlett

El Generalísimo: Franco: Power, Violence and the Quest for Greatness

"Bloomsbury presents El Generali´simo by Giles Tremlett , read by Luis Soto. 'Making Francisco Franco’s long life and 38 years of dictatorship enjoyable reading is a daunting challenge ... Giles Tremlett nonetheless succeeds magnificently' PAUL PRESTON 'A magisterial, ground-breaking new portrait ... Sets a gold standard in Spanish Civil War history' ELISABETH DRAYSON From a scrawny, overlooked military graduate to the youngest general in Europe, Francisco Franco was known for his ambition, talent and calculated risk-taking. Yet his reputation remains a topic of fierce debate. Did he destroy Spain and stifle its democracy or rescue the nation from left-wing tumult? In this compelling biography, Giles Tremlett unravels the complex life and legacy of the enigmatic dictator who shaped twentieth-century Spanish history. This book will delve into the complexities of Franco's character, exploring his volatile relationship with a domineering father, his traumatic experiences fighting in Morocco and the formation of his authoritarian ideology. The narrative follows Franco's ruthless leadership during the Civil War, his alignment with Hitler and Mussolini and the subsequent Cold War era that brought him international rehabilitation. Tremlett interrogates Franco's transformation of Spain through a lens that challenges the conventional view of him as a bumbling leader. Instead, he argues that Franco was a deliberate and pragmatic dictator who wielded terror to maintain an iron grip on power, and whose lasting (and most surprising) contribution was the period of peace that allowed Spain to challenge the absolutist spirit he embodied. Nuanced and comprehensive, El Generalísimo offers a fresh perspective that reveals the intricate interplay of ambition and fearlessness of Francisco Franco; and examines his enduring legacy that continues to shape Spain's political and cultural landscape. C 2025 Giles Tremlett P 2025 Bloomsbury Publishing PLC"

Giles Tremlett (Author), Luis Soto (Narrator)

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[Spanish] - España. Una historia abreviada

"Una brevísima historia de los vientos que han hecho de España un país único. «Tremlett se embarca en un maratón narrativo, y lo entrega a la velocidad del rayo, desde los comienzos de España hasta nuestros días (COVID incluido). Es tal su destreza como narrador que el lector apenas sentirá que se ha dejado algo importante en el tintero». The Washington Post España. Una historia abreviada recorre la dilatada historia de un país que, por su ubicación geográfica en el sureste de Europa, se ha visto y sigue viéndose expuesto a vientos culturales (políticos, pero también meteorológicos) desde todos los puntos cardinales. África se encuentra a tan solo catorce kilómetros hacia el sur, mientras que el Mediterráneo trajo las corrientes civilizatorias de fenicios, romanos, cartagineses y bizantinos, y conecta con las tierras árabes de Oriente Próximo. Algunos de nuestros primeros «visitantes», en plena Edad de Bronce, llegaron procedentes de la estepa rusa. Los siguieron visigodos, árabes, ejércitos napoleónicos y muchos más invasores y migrantes. Otros vientos y corrientes circulares unieron la península al continente americano y permitieron que España conquistara y colonizara gran parte de ese territorio. Como resultado, en esta tierra se ha desarrollado una especie de vigor híbrido. Y, siempre que se ha intentado negar esta inevitable heterogeneidad, ha sido preciso un esfuerzo sobrehumano para forjar una identidad nacional «pura», que ha resultado imposible mantener. Pero, ¿y si esa imposible homogeneidad, ese crisol de culturas, fuera el auténtico rasgo definitorio de España? La crítica ha dicho: «Tremlett recorre la caótica historia de España con admirable claridad y estilo». The Times «Una excelente introducción a una larga e intrincada historia que se extiende a lo largo de miles de años». San Francisco Book Review «Un texto ágil e informativo... una amable introducción a la polifacética historia de España». Publishers Weekly «Este accesible recorrido por la historia del país abarca desde las relaciones de España con los antiguos imperios de Roma y Bizancio hasta la colonización de amplias zonas de América».BBC History Magazine «Tremlett es un guía sociocultural fascinante, igual de feliz comentando la victoria de España en la Copa del Mundo que su época de dominación musulmana». The Guardian «Una visión fresca y accesible de una historia inmensa». Kirkus Reviews"

Giles Tremlett (Author), Pau Ferrer (Narrator)

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España: A Brief History of Spain

"Bestselling author Giles Tremlett traverses the rich and varied history of Spain, from prehistoric times to today, in a brief, accessible primer for visitors, curious listeners and hispanophiles. Spain's position on Europe's south-western corner has exposed it to cultural, political and actual winds blowing from all quadrants. Africa lies a mere nine miles to the south. The Mediterranean connects it to the civilizational currents of Phoenicians, Romans, Carthaginians, and Byzantines as well as the Arabic lands of the near east. Hordes from the Russian steppes were amongst the first to arrive. They would be followed by Visigoths, Arabs, Napoleonic armies and many more invaders and immigrants. Circular winds and currents linked it to the American continent, allowing Spain to conquer and colonize much of it. As a result, Spain has developed a sort of hybrid vigour. Whenever it has tried to deny this inevitable heterogeneity, it has required superhuman effort to fashion a 'pure' national identity – which has proved impossible to maintain. In España, Giles Tremlett argues that, in fact, that lack of a homogenous identity is Spain's defining trait. PRAISE FOR GILES TREMLETT: 'Lively and well-informed ... At once a history, a journalistic inquiry and a travel book' Sunday Telegraph. 'A feast of a book' Irish Times. 'A transfixing, elegantly written account of Spain today' Metro. 'Tremlett writes with humour, modesty and a great affection for his subject'. --Daily Telegraph 'An invaluable book ... Ghosts of Spain has become something of a bible for those of us extranjeros who have chosen to live in Spain ... A country finally facing its past could scarcely hope for a better, or more enamored chronicler of its present' New York Times Book Review."

Giles Tremlett (Author), Luis Soto (Narrator)

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[Spanish] - Isabel la Católica: La primera gran reina de Europa

"La biografía definitiva de Isabel la Católica, la reina que definió y consolidó las bases del imperio español en el siglo XV. En 1474, una mujer culta, inteligente y fervientemente religiosa de apenas veintitrés años ascendió al trono de Castilla, el reino más poderoso y extenso de España. Tenía por delante el considerable reto de gobernar una corte dominada por hombres y reformar uno de los principales reinos europeos acosado por el crimen, la corrupción y el violento faccionalismo político. En esta biografía definitiva, Giles Tremlett nos presenta a una controvertida mujer que consiguió cambiar el rumbo de la historia sacando a su país del oscurantismo medieval para dotarlo de las herramientas que lo convertirían en uno de los mayores imperios donde nunca se ponía el sol. Como sostiene Tremlett, Isabel la Católica es la reina más importante de la historia de Europa, y este libro por fin le hace justicia, con sus luces y sus sombras."

Giles Tremlett (Author), Germán Gijón (Narrator)

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The International Brigades: Fascism, Freedom and the Spanish Civil War

"Bloomsbury presents The International Brigades by Giles Tremlett, read by Laurence Bouvard. 'Magnificent. Narrative history at its vivid and compelling best' Fergal Keane The first major history of the International Brigades: a tale of blood, ideals and tragedy in the fight against fascism. The Spanish Civil War was the first armed battle in the fight against fascism, and a rallying cry for a generation. Over 35,000 volunteers from sixty-one countries around the world came to defend democracy against the troops of Franco, Hitler and Mussolini. Ill-equipped and disorderly, yet fuelled by a shared sense of purpose and potential glory, disparate groups of idealistic young men and women banded together to form a volunteer army of a size and kind unseen since the Crusades, known as the International Brigades. These passionate liberal fighters – from across Europe, China, Africa and the Americas – would join the Republican cause, fighting for over two years on the bloody battlegrounds of Madrid, Jarama and Ebro. Were they heroes or fools? Saints or bloodthirsty adventurers? And what exactly did they achieve? This is a story rendered vivid in the writings of Orwell and Hemingway, the paintings of Picasso and the photographs of Taro and Capa. But here, in this magisterial history, award-winning historian Giles Tremlett tells – for the first time – the story of the Spanish Civil War through the experiences of this remarkable group of people. Drawing on the Brigades' extensive archives in Moscow, Comintern documents and first-hand accounts, Tremlett captures all the human drama of an historic mission to halt fascist expansion in Europe. A fascinating history of resistance, The International Brigades shows just how far ordinary people will go to save democracy against overwhelming odds in a tale of European solidarity that resonates just as strongly today. C 2020 Giles Tremlett P 2020 Bloomsbury Publishing PLC"

Giles Tremlett (Author), Laurence Bouvard (Narrator)

Audiobook

Audiobooks by Giles Tremlett

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