Living in Spain's Turbulent Years: The Story of a Remarkable Life
Davies, Holly Kay ; Vielba, Frank
Synopsis "Living in Spain's Turbulent Years: The Story of a Remarkable Life"
Living in Spain's Turbulent Years is the story of a remarkable person: Trinidad Martin Gómez. She is born in 1907 in Extremadura (Central West Spain). Being one twelve children Trinidad faces a difficult beginning. There is no schooling for her, only work at very young age, looking after children from a better-off family, selling milk and helping her mother to wash clothes in the local river for one cent a garment. Escaping poverty at the age of sixteen she flees to Madrid in search of employment. It is 1923 and the Spanish capital is in the midst of social and political revolution, which in 1936 culminates with a fratricidal civil war. She witnesses three years of bombing, hunger and personal tragedies on a terrifying scale. Afterwards, she lives through Franco's dictatorship (1939-1975) and the democratic period that follows until her death in 2010. Her story provides a window on Spain's social history over the last hundred years. Over the course of her story, we get to know Trinidad and her family. There is Tio Fuste, (Trinidad's father) a remarkable character himself, who has three vices: wine, cigarettes and women. Then there is Nicasio (Trinidad's husband) a revolutionary idealist, poet and dreamer. Later on we encounter Don Carlos (Trinidad's boss), an engineer-aristocrat and devout catholic, who attends daily mass in his home chapel. And many others. We also discover why she is a special person, bursting with an extraordinary humanity; and why in 2002 she receives honours from Madrid's City Council for being the most senior student in the city. Thoroughly researched, combining meticulous history with story-telling style, Frank Vielba (Trinidad's son) provides a vivid and authentic record of Spain's contemporary history. Using colourful descriptions and everyday language the voices of the characters bring the story to life. This biography will be loved by readers who are interested in stories about ordinary people that are not famous, but should be so. Frank Vielba is a retired IT Manager who is interested in family history writing and research. Before his retirement, he published in a different genre Reducing the M and A Risks: The Role of IT in Mergers and Acquisitions, Palgrave Macmillan; (31 May 2006). He is currently researching another book on family history. He is married and lives in London.
