In Hiding: The Life of Manuel Cortes

by Ronald Fraser

In Hiding is the spellbinding story of a man who spent thirty years holed-up in his own home to escape execution. Manuel Cortes, a socialist and mayor of the village of Mijas in Andalusia, became a marked man once Franco's forces took power. Cortes stayed under cover until amnesty was decreed in 1969. This absorbing narrative, based on numerous in-depth interviews, chronicles an awe-inspiring ordeal and depicts one of Spain's darkest hours in visceral detail.

Genres: History, Spain

238 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1972

About the author

Ronald Angus Fraser (9 December 1930 – 10 February 2012) was a British historian noted for his oral histories and in particular for Blood Of Spain: An Oral History of the Spanish Civil War, his oral history of the Spanish Civil War.

Born in Hamburg to an upper-middle class British father and wealthy American mother, Fraser was educated at boarding school in England and the USA and undertook further studies in Switzerland and France. He chronicled his upbringing in his oral history In Search of a Past (1984), in which interviews with the servants at his family's Berkshire country house served as a counterpoint to his own memories. Fraser spent five years as a correspondent with Reuters in Brussels, The Hague and London before moving to Spain in 1957 to become a full-time writer.

Fraser was one of the pioneers of oral history in the 1960s and '70s, most notably with In Hiding: The Life of Manuel Cortes: The Life of Manuel Cortes (1972) and Blood Of Spain: An Oral History of the Spanish Civil War (1979). His book Napoleon's Cursed War: Popular Resistance in the Spanish Peninsular War, 1808-1814 (2008) applied his experience of oral history to traditional archival sources.

Fraser's friendship with André Gorz led to his involvement with the New Left Review from the early 1960s. He was a lifelong socialist and at his death a senior member of the New Left Trust. He was a founder of New Left Books, the parent company of publisher Verso Books.

Reviews

[Tuck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cortes was mayor of mijas until the traitorous military overtook the malaga area then he fled, joined the republic, s army. They were eventually defeated and Franco dictatorship lasted from 1939 to 1976. Cortes spent that time hiding in his own village home(s), unbeknownst to anyone. He had an execution hanging over him if caught.
Interesting book of interviews with Manuel, his wife , and daughter. Mayor cortes was well read and informed and has interesting insights into the republic, the revolution and war, and the dictatorship. And lots of info about rural life on south coast. Has end notes and cool map that includes labor union control over portions of southern Spain.

[Kirat Kaur · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely amazing read. Manuel Cortes hid for 30 years in his home upon the institution of the Franco regime at the end of the Spanish civil war, to escape persecution and certain death because of his socialist beliefs and leftist activities as a leader and mayor of his community in a village called Mijas in Andalusia.

This account of his time in hiding, and the historical circumstances that led to it, was very educational (I don't know much about Spanish history and political economy) and told in a very accessible, rational way, but an emotional read nonetheless.

The way the family came together, the way Manuel's wife Juliana and daughter Maria worked to keep him safe and secret for a full 30 years, is truly remarkable.

The things one learns about the character of this man through this telling are also remarkable. Here is a truly decent human being. Even during his time as mayor when the left was strong in Mijas, he protected his right-wing political opponents from death by mobs, many of whom didn't return the favour and/or had previously treated him with disdain. How many of us would do that given the option?

Manuel Cortes was an amazing human being. Ron Fraser (who sadly died earlier this year) has documented his struggle and his fortitude with painstaking accuracy and accessibility.

"I went into the struggle because that is what I believed in, and though I'm finished now with politics, my convictions will remain till I die." ~Manuel Cortes, 1969

[Carlos Wang · Rating 4 out of 5]

西班牙內戰是歐洲上個世紀三零年代最重要的歷史事件之一，它不僅在本國內爆發了巨大的對立與衝突，也在四周鄰近國家引起了騷動。原因在於這場因西班牙社會沉痾已久的積弊最終點燃的革命，是由極端意識形態的對立所譜寫，而這將同時是這個世紀未來歷史潮流的主軸，人們將會為此持續鬥爭數十年之久，這場內戰反而只是簡短的前奏而已。

這個主題在歐美史學界的研究作品早就多如過江之鯽，但華文圈內可供閱讀的書籍卻仍屈指可數。簡體的出版社新星、中信，曾為讀者提供了兩本通史性的作品，而上海社會科學院則推出了關於佛朗哥與國王卡洛斯的傳記，還有一本相關的作品。至於筆者自己，對於這段歷史的了解最早是來自一位作家林達的《西班牙像一本書》的描述，海明威的《喪鐘為誰而鳴》反而還沒機會拜讀。這次，「格致‧格爾尼卡書系」為吾人提供這本《藏著：一個西班牙人的33年內戰人生》，真是一大好消息。

本書是英國口述史的先驅羅納德‧弗雷澤(Ronald Fraser)在採訪故事主角曼努埃爾一家三口後，編寫而成的紀實性作品。它描寫了一位在內戰中因為採取了跟勝利者相左立場而獲罪，為了活命而不得不躲藏了三十年之久的普通平民的曲折經歷。這是一段坎坷的悲情人生，但我讀完之後，卻有一種這並非「獨特」的故事。

史家霍布斯邦稱二十世紀是一個「極端的年代」，在那段時間裡，不論是在歐洲，還是其他地方，人們往往為了意識形態而彼此鬥爭，甚至到了非要你死我活不可的地步。不論是本書故事發生的中心西班牙，還是之後的希臘、朝鮮半島、中南半島，乃至於我們父祖輩經歷的戰爭都是，曼努埃爾的經歷是不難想像可以同樣發生在上述地區。而且，透過本書，筆者才赫然發現，二十世紀三零年代的伊比利半島農村，依然很大程度停留在法國大革命前的舊歐洲的水平，土豪掌握幾乎所有的可耕地，並藉此獲得了權力，迫使政權必須與之合作，共同「統治」這些農民。這是在亞洲也常見的「景色」。這種境況造成了極端的貧富差距，當時西班牙雖然開始民主化進程，但就政治學理論上來說，比較像是產生動亂的條件，而非溫和改革的根基。

曼努埃爾出身貧窮家庭的農民，父母早亡，多虧養父母收留，並依託一些人脈僥倖受了些教育，雖然不能發達，卻能接觸到當時開始散播的左派社會主義革命思想。按照他自己的說法，曼努埃爾是屬於「溫和左派」，他反對激進的暴力，並貫徹這個理念，在那個激情的內戰年代，也能盡可能善待敵人，雖然未必都能「善有善報」，至少直到三十年後他還是能堅持自己的理念，這點確實令人敬佩。他是個小人物，他的觀念與想法卻代表著許多平凡人對政治的理解，平凡，但實實在在。或許我們已無從知道曼努埃爾怎麼看待現在的西班牙與歐洲，不過書中有透漏，他對北歐幾個社會民主主義國家是很欽佩與羨慕的，或許，上帝給他開了個玩笑，讓他生錯了地方，或者提早誕生。但是，不得不說的是，也許人類社會的進步，正是有這些先輩的犧牲，才能換得吧。

故事另外一個令人敬佩的是主角的妻子朱莉安娜，沒有她的堅持，曼努埃爾根本不可能撐過三十年，更讓人不得不直言的是，真的很少有夫妻能經得起這樣的考驗，也不該隨意這樣要求。這是一種需要高度的理解才能夠做出的行為，朱利安娜雖然自承「不懂得政治，也不想去關心和理解，因為她認為那是上面的人為了犧牲底層在搞的事情。」這種想法並不奇怪，直到今日依然時時可見許多因為政治醜惡面而冷感與無力化的人們會如是說。可是，朱莉安娜自己後來又說「但是當國民軍佔領我們村莊時，我就知道政治是怎麼回事了。」或許是因為這樣，朱莉安娜能懂得丈夫的付出是為了什麼。權利不去爭取，小老百姓就永遠只能任由上層人物宰割。犧牲是痛苦的，但如果能夠換取下一代的幸福，或許就是值得。不過，或許對朱莉安娜來說，能夠跟丈夫白頭到老，就是足夠了吧。


像這樣的口述史，提供了我們微觀的面向去看待這場內戰，它是非常值得一讀的作品。歷史雖然不可諱言的，是由一些大人物在引導與影響，但它卻缺不了平凡大眾的共同參與，而他們的悲與喜卻是最容易被忽略的。


順帶一提，不論是弗雷澤，還是他在書中一直提到的西班牙內戰史的作品，似乎也都相當有趣，但願能有出版社願意引進。

[lukas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Krásna kniha plná rozhovor o starostovi ktorý sa schovával 30 rokov!!!!!

[Tacodisc · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Even if nothing could be done outside, within the family a father can see that ideas are kept alive, that there is continuity and that everything doesn't die with him."

[Gerardo Herrera · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible story of a man’s struggle to survive because of politics. Really makes one question one’s political inclinations.

[Scott Fuchs · Rating 4 out of 5]

The true tale of a political 'criminal' in Franco's Spain, hiding in his own home for 30 year [1939-69].
The town, one of those annualy white washed glories of southern Spain is Mijas, 8KM north of Fuengirola [Costa del Sol].
No one casn 'hide' there today; a high spped road from the Coast has been built making it a tour bus delight.

[N · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would have liked to hear more about Manuel and his day-to-day activities after coming out of hiding. Overall a well written book with 3 similar, yet different viewpoints. Makes one wonder how you mentally strong you are/ would have been in that position

[Pippa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A desperately sad story.

[Malaga]

we left Mijas just before he came out of hiding...

[Adriana Diaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a little known book, the true story of man who hid in his house or 40 years because Franco's government was intent on capturing and executing him. Here he tells his own story about the harrowing times when the house was searched top to bottom. He had hiding places in the walls and would sit for hours cramped there, barely breathing. In the meantime, his wife continued with a demanding work schedule. His children grew up, eventually told about Papa who was actually not lost in the war, but living there, beneath their fee at times.
It is an amazing and well told story that gives a unique perspective on life in Spain under the fascist thumb of Francisco Franco.