What We Tried to Bury Grows Here

by Julian Zabalbeascoa · 2024

In the summer of 1936, eighteen‑year‑old Isidro Elejalde abandons his Basque village to fight for Spain’s fledgling democracy, while in war‑torn Bilbao, mother and writer Mariana raises her children and pens fierce pleas against the fascist coup backed by Germany and Italy. As Nationalist forces sweep the country, their brief, intersecting paths illuminate the ordinary lives caught in extraordinary violence. Through a chorus of voices—soldiers, priests, refugees, children—Julian Zabalbeascoa weaves a richly researched, haunting portrait of the Spanish Civil War, exploring survival, longing, and the lingering scent of evil that lingers long after the battle ends.