''Spain'' is a poem by

W. H. Auden Wystan Hugh Auden (; 21 February 1907 – 29 September 1973) was a British-American poet. Auden's poetry was noted for its stylistic and technical achievement, its engagement with politics, morals, love, and religion, and its variety in ...

written after his visit to the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, link ...

. ''Spain'' was described by George Orwell as "one of the few decent things that have been written about the Spanish war". It was written and published in 1937. Auden donated all the profits from the sale of ''Spain'' to the

Spanish Medical Aid Committee The International Brigades ( es, Brigadas Internacionales) were military units set up by the Communist International to assist the Popular Front government of the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War. The organization existed f ...

.David Garrett Izzo, ''W.H. Auden Encyclopedia''. Jefferson, NC : McFarland & Company, 2011. (pp. 245-7) Auden published two versions of the poem, first as a pamphlet ''Spain'' (1937), then, in revised form and titled "Spain 1937", in his book ''

Another Time Another Time may refer to: * ''Another Time'' (book), a 1940 book of poems by W. H. Auden * ''Another Time'' (Jeff Williams album), 2011 * ''Another Time'' (Earth, Wind & Fire album), 1974 See also * " Another Time (Andrew's Song)", a 2014 so ...

'' (1940). He later rejected the poem from his collected editions, regarding it as a "dishonest" poem that expressed political views that he never believed but which he thought would be rhetorically effective. The poem describes the history that led up to the Spanish Civil War, then the arrival of the International Brigades at the war itself, then foresees a possible future that may result from the war.

Reception and influence

On its publication,

Cyril Connolly Cyril Vernon Connolly CBE (10 September 1903 – 26 November 1974) was an English literary critic and writer. He was the editor of the influential literary magazine '' Horizon'' (1940–49) and wrote '' Enemies of Promise'' (1938), which comb ...

described ''Spain'' as "good medium Auden in a good cause—the Spanish Medical Aid". Connolly criticized the poem's use of Marxist concepts, but ended his review of ''Spain'' by saying "the conclusion is very fine."Cyril Connolly, "To-Day the Struggle", ''New Statesman'', 5 June 1937. Reprinted in Cunningham, ''Spanish Front : Writers on the Civil War'' (p.325) The poem was widely discussed, notably by George Orwell in " Inside the Whale" (1940) and in E. P. Thompson's reply to Orwell, "Outside the Whale" (''Out of Apathy'', 1960). The scientist Joseph Needham, a great admirer of Auden, took the title of his 1943 book ''Time: The Refreshing River'' from ''Spain''.

References

* John Fuller, ''W. H. Auden: A Commentary'' (1999). *

Edward Mendelson __NOTOC__ Edward Mendelson (born March 15, 1946) is a professor of English and Comparative Literature and the Lionel Trilling Professor in the Humanities at Columbia University. He is the literary executor of the Estate of W. H. Auden and the au ...

, ''Early Auden'' (1981). * E. P. Thompson, ''The Poverty of Theory and Other Essays'' (1978). {{W. H. Auden 1937 books Books by W. H. Auden

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

1937 poems Faber and Faber books