Memoir · Book club
Homage to Catalonia book club questions
Here are 12 book club questions for Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell, ordered to open easily and end somewhere worth arguing about. Copy them, print them, or bring them up one at a time.
Homage to Catalonia is George Orwell's firsthand account of fighting in the Spanish Civil War, which he joined in late 1936 as a volunteer with the POUM militia — a Trotskyist revolutionary organization that was later suppressed by the Soviet-backed Stalinist wing of the Republican forces.
George Orwell · 1938 · 5h 30m
Full summary and key takeaways →The 12 questions
- 1.
Orwell describes Barcelona in 1936 as a place where revolutionary egalitarianism was an observable social reality. What made that moment possible, and why was it so short-lived?
- 2.
How does Orwell balance his role as a participant and a reporter? Does his direct involvement make his account more or less reliable?
- 3.
The Communist press and the liberal press both misreported events Orwell witnessed directly. What does that suggest about how we consume media accounts of conflicts we cannot observe firsthand?
- 4.
Orwell stayed on the Republican side even after the Communist crackdown on the POUM. What does that choice reveal about his politics?
- 5.
The book was largely ignored or dismissed on publication in Britain. Why do you think the political climate of 1938 made it difficult to receive?
- 6.
What is the relationship between this memoir and Orwell's later fiction? Can you identify specific experiences that seem to have migrated into Animal Farm or Nineteen Eighty-Four?
- 7.
Orwell is sharply critical of the Stalinist left, but he is also honest about the POUM's weaknesses. Does that balance hold, or does the criticism fall unevenly?
- 8.
How does Orwell describe fear in the trenches? What surprised you about his account of combat?
- 9.
The Spanish Civil War attracted volunteers from across Europe and the Americas. What does Orwell's account suggest about the limits of ideological solidarity as a basis for military alliance?
- 10.
If Orwell had not been shot and had stayed in Spain longer, do you think his conclusions would have been the same?
- 11.
What does the book suggest about the relationship between truth-telling and political commitment? Can someone hold strong political views and still report accurately?
- 12.
Orwell ends on a note of return to England and ordinary life that feels almost surreal given what he has just described. How do you read that ending?
How to run the discussion
- Pick six to eight, not all of them. An hour of real discussion covers fewer questions than anyone expects, and racing the list is what makes a book club feel like homework.
- Open with what people noticed, not what they concluded. Asking for a verdict first hardens opinions before anyone has heard each other.
- Let the disagreement run. The questions below that split a room are the ones worth the time; the ones everyone answers the same way can be skipped.
- Ask the quiet person a specific question. A direct, narrow question is far easier to answer than an open invitation to contribute.
Themes worth steering toward
If the conversation stalls, these are the threads that usually restart it.
Common questions
What are good book club questions for Homage to Catalonia?
Here are 12 book club questions for Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell, ordered to open easily and end somewhere worth arguing about. The strongest openers ask what each reader noticed rather than what they concluded, and the discussion usually turns on war, political ideology, revolution.
How long should a book club discussion of Homage to Catalonia last?
Most groups run 60 to 90 minutes of actual discussion. That is roughly six to eight questions, not all of them, so pick the ones that suit your group rather than working down the list in order.
What are the main themes in Homage to Catalonia?
War, Political ideology, Revolution, Disillusionment, Class. Those are the threads most likely to divide a room, which makes them the useful places to steer a discussion that has gone quiet.
Picking the next one? See books like Homage to Catalonia or questions for other book club picks.
