Roman Holiday in the Spanish Bull Ring
- Title:
- Roman Holiday in the Spanish Bull Ring
- Alternate Title:
- Roman Holiday in the Spanish Bull Ring
- Collection:
- Persuasive Maps: PJ Mode Collection
- Creator:
- Derso, Alois & Emery Kelen
- Date:
- 1938
- Posted Date:
- 2024-04-25
- ID Number:
- 2515.01
- File Name:
- PJM_2515_01.jpg
- Style/Period:
- 1920 - 1939
- Subject:
- Between the Wars
Other War & Peace
Pictorial
Satirical - Measurement:
- 34 x 52 (centimeters, height x width)
- Notes:
- This bold map illustrates the waning prospects of the Republican forces in the Spanish Civil War as a great bull, still on his feet but gravely wounded by the lances of the picadors and the barbed sticks of the banderillas. Some of these weapons bear the insignia of those supporting the Nationalist cause, including the Nazi Swastika and the "Faces," symbol of Mussolini's Italian Fascist Party.
The map was published in June 1938, at an important turning point in the war. In April, General (later Generalissimo) Francisco Franco's Nationalist armies had completed an advance from central Spain to the Mediterranean, driving a wedge between the Republican forces in Catalonia to the north and those south of Valencia. In May, recognizing their position, the Republicans sought a negotiated peace, but Franco insisted on unconditional surrender, and the war continued. The three cities shown burning along the sea are Barcelona in the north and Valencia and Alicante further south, attacked by aerial bombing and artillery. By the end of the year, the war was essentially over.
Ken Magazine, which published this map, was a controversial anti-fascist publication that first appeared in April 1938. It was distinguished by unusual and powerful graphics like this one and provocative photos and articles, including reports on the Spanish Civil War by Ernest Hemingway. The magazine failed in August 1939 as a result of wariness by advertisers and a boycott by the Catholic Church. Baptista 2009, 109-115. For other maps in the collection from the magazine, Search > "Ken Magazine."
The title of this work, "Roman Holiday in the Spanish Bull Ring," derives from Canto Four of Byron's epic poem "Childe Harolde," published in 1818. The protagonist reflects on the Roman Coliseum, where "the buzz of eager nations ran . . . as man was slaughtered by his fellow-man . . . because such were the bloody circus' genial laws, and the imperial pleasure." (Stanza 139.) And he summons the pathos of a dying gladiator, "Butchered to make a Roman holiday." (Stanza 141.) To this day, the phrase "roman holiday" connotes sadistic enjoyment. And in this case it has a double meaning because of the Italian support for the Nationalist cause.
The map was created by Alois Derso and Emery Kelen, two Hungarian Jewish illustrators who met in Lausanne in 1922 and became friends and collaborators. They worked together in Europe and then in the United States for nearly 30 years and were known particularly for their political cartoons and caricatures.
Cornell University Library is pleased to present this digital collection of Persuasive Maps, the originals of which have been collected and described by the private collector PJ Mode. The descriptive information in the “Collector’s Notes” has been supplied by Mr. Mode and does not necessarily reflect the views of Cornell University. - Source:
- Ken Magazine, June 30, 1938.
- Format:
- Image
- Rights:
- For important information about copyright and use, see http://persuasivemaps.library.cornell.edu/copyright.