This Time a Better Earth, by Ted Allan: A Critical Edition

by Ted Allan, Bart Vautour (Editor)

A young Canadian marches over the Pyrenees and enters into history by joining the International Brigades―men and women from around the world who volunteered to fight against fascism in the Spanish Civil War. This new edition of Ted Allan’s novel, This Time a Better Earth , reintroduces readers to the electrifying milieu of the Spanish Civil War and Madrid, which for a short time in the 1930s became the epicentre of a global struggle between democracy and fascism. This Time a Better Earth , first published in 1939, tells the story of Canadian Bob Curtis from the time of his arrival in Spain and the idealism and trials of the international volunteers. Allan’s novel achieves the distinction of being both a work of considerable literary and historical significance and a real page-turner. This is the first installment of a series of titles to be published in the Canadian Literature Collection under the Canada and the Spanish Civil War banner. This is a large-scale project devoted to the recovery and presentation of Canadian cultural production about the Spanish Civil War (spanishcivilwar.ca), directed by Bart Vautour and Emily Robins Sharpe.

Genres: Fiction

200 pages, Paperback

First published January 22, 2015

Reviews

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ted Allan's novel was printed in 1939, and then remained out of print until this edition. A Canadian Novel surrounding the Spanish Civil War, something Allan had first has experience with.
I can't seem to figure out why this novel went out of print for such a long period of time. It is very easy to read, other than the Spanish words that are strewn throughout the text, all that are simple and paying attention to the storyline- not that hard to figure out (although the index in the back certainly helps). This is a simple war story following around Bob a Canadian solider, and his life in the war. This novel is very engaging, and exciting enough that you keep turning the pages to find out what happens next.
I wouldn't have even heard of Ted Allan if I hadn't signed up for a Canadian Literature class with his work on the syllabus, but it was worth the read. I believe that more Canadians should be reading this novel again, about a forgotten part of Canada's history, showing that everyone, no matter what - is human.

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for class. It was obscure enough that my prof had to edit it himself so he could teach it.