Sparare ai cavalli. La guerra civile spagnola nella letteratura svedese in Att skjuta hästar (2015) di Kjell Eriksson

Chronologically placed between (and logically overshadowed by) World War I and II, Spanish Civil War marked Spanish history in the 20th century: as the outcome of decades of social and political tensions, it led to the replacement of the newborn republic with an authoritarian regime, which would last until the 1970s; moreover, it was the main international event before World War II where a military confrontation of totalitarianisms (and fascist forces) with democracies (and anti-fascist forces) took place. As specifically regards Scandinavia, hundreds of volunteers joined the International Brigades, even against their own government’s position (as in the case of Sweden). Certainly due to the geographical and cultural distance of Spain and, primarily, of course, to the incomparably more devastating experience of World War II, the impact of Spanish Civil War on Swedish literature (especially in prose) has in no way been relevant: this war inspired a children’s book in 1976 and a couple of thrillers in the 2010s, yet, Att skjuta hästar. En roman om spanska inbördeskriget (Shooting Horses. A Novel on Spanish Civil War) is the first work of literary fiction that is thoroughly devoted to this crucial event (other novels were published in 2016 and 2017). In the story conceived by Eriksson, which proves to rely on historically documented elements, memory operates at various levels: not only has a fundamental episode of European history been reconstructed from the perspective of some volunteers in the Brigades, but the whole report is fictitiously based on what the Swedish protagonist, Alfons Andersson, wrote in some notebooks during that experience. As a bitter narration on war violence, grief and injustice, as well as a proud testimony of people’s courage, humanity and generosity, this work can be considered, in my view, a good and suitable example of memory culture in Swedish literature.