Having recently returned from a trip to Spain to promote the Spanish edition of my biography of the convert poet, Roy Campbell, and to speak at a Chesterton conference in Madrid, I am greatly encouraged at an embryonic Catholic revival, which seems to be emerging in that most esteemed of countries. Spain, lest we forget, has saved Christendom twice in her illustrous history, first from the Muslims in the Reconquista and then from the communists in the Spanish civil war. In the first instance, it is likely that Islam would have overrun Europe if the Spanish had not reconquered the Iberian peninsular; in the latter instance, if the communists had won the Spanish civil war, it would have given the post-war Soviet Union a powerful presence in the heart of western Europe. A communist Spain would also have made it more likely that the powerful communist parties in France and Italy would have triumphed in post-war elections, effecitively delivering western Europe into the hands of the Marxist beast. The victory of the Nationalists in the Spanish civil war was, therefore, a victory for Christendom over atheism. It was for this reason that Roy Campbell supported the Nationalist cause so vociferously and it was also for this reason that the great Hilaire Belloc declared, upon hearing of the Nationalist victory, that “General Franco has saved us all”. Make no mistake, Christians throughout the world owe a debt of gratitude to Spain.

 

As for the purpose of my recent trip, I am frankly astonished by the success of the Spanish edition of my biography of Campbell. It has a great deal to do with the marketing spin involved in the change of title. The original title of the UK edition, Bloomsbury & Beyond, was designed to interest the British literati, who have a longstanding love affair with Virginia Woolf and the Bloomsbury Group. The title was changed for the US edition to Unafraid of Virginia Woolf, a change of focus designed to attract a US market who were more familiar with Woolf than the rest of the Bloomsbury entourage, and which also played with the title of the well-known Hollywood movie. In Spain, however, the title is Spain Saved My Soul, playing on the natural sense of patriotism and making Campbell a sympathetic figure thorugh his love of the country. In any event, it seems to have worked. Apart from the full page article on Campbell in the major national newspaper, El Mundo, and extensive coverage in many other newspapers, I also did two live TV interviews, and several press interviews. I was also a guest at the inaugural dinner of the Roy Campbell Foundation, at which those present included a childhood friend of Campbell’s daugher, Anna, who shared many memories. Others in attendance included a brace of aristocrats, a senior officer of the Spanish Legion, several history and literature professors, and a leading Carmelite who is an expert on the Toledo martyrs. All in all, an exhilarating and highly encouraging trip!

 

Vive le Roy!

Viva Cristo Rey!