Description

In our age of political divisions, this portrait of the women outsiders who took part in the Spanish Civil War asks questions of solidarity and resistance.

‘Glorious… so beautifully rendered, so powerful’
ANNA FUNDER, author of Wifedom

In the 1930s, women and men from across the world made their way to Spain to be part of what they saw as a historic fight for freedom from fascism. Tomorrow Perhaps the Future follows extraordinary outsiders who were determined to live out their lives with courage and conviction.

Sarah Watling weaves together the experiences of a host of writers and activists, including Nancy Cunard, Martha Gellhorn, Jessica Mitford and Virginia Woolf, and searches out the stories of the photographer Gerda Taro and the Harlem nurse Salaria Kea. Throughout, she explores solidarity, art and resistance, finding answers that are as vital today as they were almost a century ago.

‘A fascinating study’
OBSERVER

‘Engrossing and impressive’
NEW STATESMAN

* A NEW YORKER BOOK OF THE YEAR *

Publisher Review

A fascinating study… Watling’s protagonists are flawed but brave, battling fascism with guts. * Observer * Provocative, compelling narratives of women on the front lines of fighting fascism… A powerful, moving cautionary tale for today. — Helen Zia, author of The Last Boat Out of Shanghai Watling’s study marks her determination to write women into the history books… This is a serious, scholarly work, which also brings her group of writers, poets and activists vividly to life. * Spectator * A brilliant, impassioned, and much-needed tribute to the women who used their art to fight fascism… Extraordinary and captivating. — Heather Clark, author of Red Comet Watling’s narrative, inserting vivid glimpses of the conflict to situate her shuffling of a deck of characters who themselves embodied complex and evolving ideas, is expertly balanced. * Times Literary Supplement *