The WELL: inkwell.vue.210: Ramon Sender, "A Death in Zamora"

#64: Of course this can get a little solipsistic (pjm) Thu 13 May 04 00:04

Thu, 13 May 2004 00:04:00 PDT

My impression is that we in the USA have been woefully underexposed to the painful truth of what happens in all wars. We see planes and ships and explosions. We rarely see the damage done to the innocents. We don't want to see it. Thanks for a powerful post, (gerry). [Read entire topic]

#63: Tres de Caf* y Dos de Az*car (gerry) Wed 12 May 04 20:31

Wed, 12 May 2004 20:31:00 PDT

To me, one of the most striking aspects of Ram*n's book is how it disturbed my ignorance of the Spanish Civil War. I knew that there had been a civil war in Spain, and I knew that Franco was a fascist who held power for too many years. But in my ignorance, I'd somehow held a mental image of it as a war only between combatants.

I never had any notion of how civilians, especially women and children, had been brutalized on the basis of "guilt by association" with socialists. While the events may not compare to Nazi atrocities in scope or magnitude, there is a definite similarity in terms of the sheer brutality. My impression is that we in the USA have been woefully underexposed to the painful truth of what happened in Spain, perhaps because it was indeed overshadowed by the horrors of Nazi Germany.

And yet, reading this book gives one the opportunity to accompany Ram*n on his painful and intimately personal quest for truth and discovery, while at the same time filling one with admiration for Ram*n's willingness to assume a compassionate stance toward certain exceedingly evil individuals. Amparo lives in Ram*n's nobel heart, and this book generously provides us with a glimpse of her glory. [Read entire topic]

#62: Ramon Sender Barayon (rabar) Sun 11 Apr 04 11:10

Sun, 11 Apr 2004 11:10:00 PDT

And please don't purchase at Amazon's inflated price, but click on the 'new and used' button to order the new edition directly from Booksurge at $15. [Read entire topic]

#61: Tres de Caf* y Dos de Az*car (gerry) Sat 10 Apr 04 18:51

Sat, 10 Apr 2004 18:51:00 PDT

I noticed that _A Death in Zamora_ is available at Amazon.com, and it has a five-star review. I'd like to encourage those who've read it also add their reviews at Amazon. I plan to do so. I think Ramon's work deserves our support. [Read entire topic]

#60: Peter Meuleners (pjm) Sat 10 Apr 04 16:10

Sat, 10 Apr 2004 16:10:00 PDT

It was a pleasure, Ramon. I would like to thank David, Bruce, and the rest of Confteam for allowing me the privilege of leading this discussion. I will be sticking around. Feel free to ask questions of any sort or post your own thoughts. [Read entire topic]

#59: Ramon Sender Barayon (rabar) Fri 9 Apr 04 16:54

Fri, 09 Apr 2004 16:54:00 PDT

Many thanks, Bruce, Peter, and all those who contributed their thoughts and/or their virtual presences. It has been a fascinating experience for me, with many of the questions allowing me a chance to ponder more deeply some of my own feelings and experiences. Answering jax's query above, Lou Gottlieb indeed was the Limeliter LG and also the dedicated 'Uncle Lou' of the Sonoma County open door communal movement. A number of archived topics on the Well include some of Lou's postings, either direct or via my uploads. A starting point would be archives 169 Otherwise you can access the MOST newsletters that contain considerable Lou materials at http://www.ic.org/morningstar [Read entire topic]

#58: virtual community or butter? (bumbaugh) Fri 9 Apr 04 13:58

Fri, 09 Apr 2004 13:58:00 PDT

This has been a fascinating two weeks' discussion. Thanks, rabar and pjm, for your time, and thanks to everyone else who contributed.

It doesn't have to end here; the topic will remain open indefinitely. But I wanted to note that a new conversation is moving "into the spotlight" and off some formal acknowledgement and thanks.

But, do continue! [Read entire topic]

#57: Uncle Jax (jax) Fri 9 Apr 04 11:29

Fri, 09 Apr 2004 11:29:00 PDT

That's LG of the Limelighters? [Read entire topic]

#56: Ramon Sender Barayon (rabar) Fri 9 Apr 04 11:22

Fri, 09 Apr 2004 11:22:00 PDT

Is the lawsuit judgment only symbolic? Well, it made front page news in the media, so at least their neighbors know who they are. I doubt if either of them sleep as comfortably as before.

You summed up the situation very concisely in your last post, Jack. Thank you. Ultimately, though, until we all awaken to the reality of our intimate interconnectness as a species, as a life form, as a planetary consciousness, and realize that whatever we inflict on any of these we inflict upon ourselves and our loved ones, murder, rape and pillage will continue in their various guises (in which we should include the decimation of our ecosystems under the smokescreen of Free Enterprise).

The 'heart of the beast,' according to my co-aspirant Lou Gottlieb in the mid-sixties, was 'the alienation of real property' - i.e. "the carving up of Mother Earth's sweet breast and selling off the pieces," as he so aptly described it. But this is a whole other topic for a whole other book, isn't it? [Read entire topic]

#55: Uncle Jax (jax) Thu 8 Apr 04 23:06

Thu, 08 Apr 2004 23:06:00 PDT

Is that only symbolic, or is there a snowball's chance they'll collect a dime?

Your book evokes transcendent sadnesses in that you unfold so artfully yet simply your story one family's horrors under a style of political brutality all too familiar in the world. You ring down every change.

The most poignant aspect, of course, as we have been told so many times in such stories, is the pain and guilt of the survivors tormenting themselves with their personal might-have-dones.

It never ends. There are 800,000 stories like yours waiting to be told by Rwandans, in part because the world knew and turned away. And this despite all we of Euro-American culture know about Hitler, Franco, Stalin, Milosevic, etc. [Read entire topic]