''Dialogue with Death'', a book by

Arthur Koestler Arthur Koestler, (, ; ; hu, Kösztler Artúr; 5 September 1905 – 1 March 1983) was a Hungarian-born author and journalist. Koestler was born in Budapest and, apart from his early school years, was educated in Austria. In 1931, Koestler join ...

, was originally published in 1937 as a section (Part II) of his book ''

Spanish Testament ''Spanish Testament'' is a 1937 book by Arthur Koestler, describing his experiences during the Spanish Civil War. Part II of the book was subsequently published on its own, with minor modifications, under the title '' Dialogue with Death'' (see ...

'', in which he describes his experiences during the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlism, Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebeli ...

. Part II of the book was subsequently decoupled from ''Spanish Testament'' and, with minor modifications, published on its own under the title ''Dialogue with Death'' (see quotation below). The book describes Koestler’s prison experiences under sentence of death. The book was written in the late autumn of 1937 immediately after his release from prison, when the events were still vivid in his memory.''The Invisible Writing,'' page 411 (‘Danube’ edition, ) In the second volume of his autobiography ''

The Invisible Writing ''The Invisible Writing: The Second Volume Of An Autobiography, 1932-40'' (1954) is a book by Arthur Koestler. It follows on from ''Arrow in the Blue'', published two years earlier, and which described his life from his birth in 1905, to 1931, ...

,'' written by Koestler fifteen years later, the following footnote appears:

Background

Koestler made three trips to Spain during the civil war and on the third occasion he was captured, sentenced to death and imprisoned by the Nationalist forces of

General Franco Francisco Franco Bahamonde (; 4 December 1892 – 20 November 1975) was a Spanish general who led the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalist forces in overthrowing the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War ...

. He was at that time working on behalf of the

Comintern The Communist International (Comintern), also known as the Third International, was a Soviet Union, Soviet-controlled international organization founded in 1919 that advocated world communism. The Comintern resolved at its Second Congress to ...

and as an agent of the Loyalist Government's official news agency, using for cover accreditation to the British daily ''

News Chronicle The ''News Chronicle'' was a British daily newspaper. Formed by the merger of '' The Daily News'' and the '' Daily Chronicle'' in 1930, it ceased publication on 17 October 1960,''Liberal Democrat News'' 15 October 2010, accessed 15 October 2010 b ...

''. Koestler had taken an ill-considered decision to stay at Málaga in southern Spain when the Republican forces withdrew from it. He had only narrowly escaped arrest by

Franco Franco may refer to: Name * Franco (name) * Francisco Franco (1892–1975), Spanish general and dictator of Spain from 1939 to 1975 * Franco Luambo (1938–1989), Congolese musician, the "Grand Maître" Prefix * Franco, a prefix used when ...

’s army on his previous sojourn into Nationalist territory, when on his second day in Nationalist-held

Seville Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsul ...

he was recognised by a former colleague of his from

Ullstein Leopold Ullstein (6 September 1826 – 4 December 1899) was the founder and publisher of several successful German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of Ger ...

’s in Berlin, who knew that Koestler was a Communist. This time he was less fortunate and was arrested, summarily sentenced to death and sent off to imprisonment in Seville. The book describes Koestler's time in the prison, in the company of numerous political prisoners - most of them Spanish Republicans. Prisoners lived under the constant threat of

summary execution A summary execution is an execution in which a person is accused of a crime and immediately killed without the benefit of a Right to a fair trial, full and fair trial. Executions as the result of summary offense, summary justice (such as a drumhea ...

without trial, without warning and without even any evident logic in the choice of victims. Every morning, prisoners would wake to find that some of their number had been executed during the night. The book was written in German, except for the prison diary, which Koestler wrote in English to avoid attracting the Gestapo's attention.Preface by Koestler to the 1954 paperback edition by Arrow Books.

Influence on later work

Koestler's prison experience contributed psychological insight for his subsequent best-selling

anti-Communist Anti-communism is political and ideological opposition to communism. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in the Russian Empire, and it reached global dimensions during the Cold War, when the United States and th ...

novel ''

Darkness at Noon ''Darkness at Noon'' (german: link=no, Sonnenfinsternis) is a novel by Hungarian-born novelist Arthur Koestler, first published in 1940. His best known work, it is the tale of Rubashov, an Old Bolshevik who is arrested, imprisoned, and tried ...

'', published in 1941.

Publications

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dialogue With Death Books by Arthur Koestler Spanish Civil War books Memoirs of imprisonment 1937 non-fiction books 1942 non-fiction books Seville Macmillan Publishers books