DAVE BOLING

Jul 22, 2009 7:16 PM EDT

Trying to find way to okay comments ... bear with me

- dave

Jul 22, 2009 8:28 PM EDT

- Anonymous

Jul 23, 2009 5:06 AM EDT

- Mike Sando

Jul 23, 2009 6:22 AM EDT

Hello
I could try to say something 'artistic' such as a literary critic might write, but that would be false! I'm on holiday in the French Alps and have just finished (half an hour ago) reading Guernica. I was blown away by it, so much so that I intend to find out more about the fate of the Basques during that period and one day visit Madrid to see the painting, of which I have a 5-foot wide copy on my wall at home. Thank you for such an amazing piece of honestly warm and passionate, non-pretentious literature. You must be so happy to have written such a masterpiece for a first novel! I loved it.
Diane Hunter

- Anonymous

Jul 23, 2009 7:07 AM EDT

Wow, well, thank you for the kind comments and also for being the first visitor to my newly christened blog! There should be a prize that comes with that, but a thank you will have to do.

If you do get the chance to get down to the Pyrenees and the Basque coast, you will love it. The scenery and the people .. food ... culture, etc. .. are equally impressive. And to stand in front of the mural at the Reina Sofia museum is a truly memorable experience. I've done it three or four times now and it gets harder and harder to step away from it.

Thanks for taking the time to check in here, and please feel free to check back and contribute.

Sincerely,
Dave

- Dave Boling

Jul 29, 2009 7:22 AM EDT

I have just finished reading Guernica and I think it is a woderful book. I particularly like that it seems to be a very honest representation of the situation. Many books on the Spanish Civil War slam the Catholic Church,and the hierarchy certainly was not admirable, however, you bring out that individual priests and the nuns in the convent did everything they could for people which is a more balanced view. You may know that the Catholic Bishops from Spain's Basque region have apologized recently for keeping quiet about the killing of priests by Franco's nationalist army during the civil war. I saw a brief news excerpt, but you can probably get the complete statement from the diocese of Vitoria, a bishop called Bishop Miguel Asurmendi Aramendia is quoted.
I spent a month in Spain this past spring, (my first visit) and love the country. I did get to Asturias and Cantabria, but not to the Basque region.
I did get to see Picasso's Guernica and had read commentary on it, but wish I had read your book first. I guess I'll have to find a way to get back to Spain.
Congratulations on a really great book. I hope it becomes a huge best seller. I have recommended it to friends from Peru and Argentina. I have a friend who works for the Spanish government in the Basque region (a very stressful job), and it helps me to understand a little better about the tensions in the region.

- Mary-Ellen Kavanagh

Jul 29, 2009 7:37 AM EDT

Oh, thank you so much for the nice thoughts. I had seen that note about the church's very belated response. And thank you for telling your friends about the book. Word of mouth is important to the success of such things.

All the best,

Dave

- Dave Boling

Aug 05, 2009 4:55 AM EDT

Hello there Dave,
I've just finished Guernica and it's a brilliant read. I've taken my family to Northern Spain on holiday for the past 5 years and we've been to Guernica and visited the Junta and the Oak and the Peace Museum etc so there are many places I can relate to when reading it. We normally stay in Cantabria so haven't quite made it along to Lekeitio yet but it's a must for next year. As a Scot I am fascinated by the Basque culture and 'Guernica' has added a bit more understanding of the region and it's history. Even as I type this my mind is wandering to a glass of Txakoli in Victor Montes in Bilbao....a few thousand miles away from where I am at the moment! best wishes,

- Stewart, in Glasgow, Scotland.

Aug 08, 2009 4:16 AM EDT

Sir
I have to-day completed reading your novel Guernica. A wonderful read , well done and thank you.

- Roy McCormack

Aug 08, 2009 6:10 AM EDT

Thank you so much, Roy. I very much appreciate hearing from readers. Be well. Dave

- Dave Boling

Sep 06, 2009 4:08 AM EDT

Have just read Guernica, fabulous, I couldn't put it down. Can't wait for your next book.

- Gill Shep

Sep 06, 2009 7:42 AM EDT

thanks, Gill. if you read my latest post,you'll seethat the next one might be a while in the making ... and typed left-handed!

- Dave Boling

Nov 27, 2009 4:46 AM EST

Fabulous book! Congratulations; I teach Spanish and love the Spanish culture; now especially after reading your book, I hope to visit the Basque region. Please keep writing. You have a rare gift. Definitely one of my favorite books ever.

- Patricia Eustace

Nov 27, 2009 6:06 AM EST

Thanks, Patricia, I'm working hard on another project right now. You will love the people, the food, the culture and the scenery of the Basque country. It's like no other place I've ever been.

- Dave Boling

Dec 06, 2009 12:41 PM EST

I sent you an email before I saw your blog, saying how moved and emotional I feel after just finishing Guernica. As others on here have said, I too feel compelled to visit Guernica, having only previously been to southern Spain. I also intend to read some of the publications you mentioned in your research. Thank you for a wonderful emotional read and best wishes with your left-handed typing of your next novel! Sandra Jones - Wirral UK

- Sandra Jones - Wirral UK

Dec 06, 2009 1:21 PM EST

Sandra, thanks so much for the note. I'm back to 10-finger typing, thankfully. But I'm a long way from doing push ups or jumping jacks!

- Dave Boling

Dec 06, 2009 8:54 PM EST

Mr. Boling,
I have to reiterate what many have already stated in the previous emails, GUERNICA is a wonderful book! I just finished reading it today and was so moved by your heart-wrenching ending that I felt compelled to write to you.
I am a Basque-American currently living in San Diego, CA. My "Aita" was a Jai Alai player, "pelotari," from Euzkadi who came to Florida and met my Irish-American mother. How they got together is a story in itself since my "Aita" didn't speak English at the time, and my "Ama" spoke only English. Love is definitely the universal language because my parents overcame their community barriers to create our family. I have had the privilege of visiting my Basque relatives in Euzkadi on several occasions and know more about my Basque heritage than I do of my American heritage. As you so aptly describe in GUERNICA, the Basques' familial ties are extremely strong and important. Your character descriptions are so accurate that I felt that you were describing many of my relatives and friends. I have known all of my life about GERNIKA and the atrocities that befell the Basques. As an art major and an art educator, I have studied about Picasso and have shared with my students about his historical masterpiece depicting the horrors that Franco allowed on that eventful day in April of 1937. My father had shared with me how, when he was a 12 year old boy, he witnessed, from the mountains of his Basque village of Etxebarria, the devastating destruction and burning of Gernika. Your powerful description of the senseless killing and annihilation of Gernika by the Nazis vividly brought this event to life for me. However, your poignant depiction of the indomitable spirit, strength, and independence of the Basque, especially when facing such adversities, could not have been better illustrated. Your wife and your children are very fortunate to have a husband and father who loves and respects their Basque heritage to create such a wonderful family heirloom in GUERNICA. On behalf of other Basque-Americans, "Ezkarrik asko," thank you very much for enlightening others about the Basques and this particular moment in history. As you state in your book's dedication, it seems that history, unfortunately continues to repeat itself. God knows the world has suffered numerous "Guernicas," but maybe by documenting these moments in books such as yours, we will learn from our past mistakes, and not allow them to be repeated. Thank you again for your wonderful novel. Please continue sharing your artistry by writing more books.

- Juan Felipe Arteaga

Dec 07, 2009 7:08 AM EST

Dear Juan,
Thank you so much for your wonderful message. The story of your Aita and Ama made me laugh because my daughter now lives in Madrid and her dear boyfriend speaks very little English and she speaks little Spanish. Yet they are happy as can be.

During research for Guernica, I talked to a number of people who had the same experience as your father. And more than 70 years later they are still brought to tears with the remembrances of that day.

Readers have been very kind in their response, especially the Basques. My Spanish publisher, Suma/Santillana, kindly brought me over for a tour in the fall of 2008, and it was particularly rewarding to meet so many Basques AND Spaniards who appreciated the book. I met several Basques who lost their parents or relatives that day. Some told me they felt the book was a tribute to their memory. I considered those the most important "reviews" I could ever get.

Thank you again, very sincerely, for sharing your thoughts and story.

Dave

- Dave Boling

Jan 09, 2010 5:03 AM EST

I chose to read your book because I had visited the Basque country and so had some knowledge of the terrible bombing of Guernica. Your story really brought the history to life for me and now I want to go back and explore the area again. I had also seen the painting and was drawn to look at any photos of it again to look more closely at the detail. I really like the way you wove real people and events into the story. I look forward to the next!

- annabel

Jan 18, 2010 1:19 PM EST

I just finished "Guernica" about a half hour ago. I originally picked the book up at the Parkland/Spanaway Library in the "Books to Go" section. The name "Boling" was somewhat familiar to me. I read your work in the Tacoma News Tribune. And I congratulate you on a marvelous first novel!

I majored in Spanish at WSU and eventually taught languages and journalism at Bethel High School in Spanaway. I've always had a fascination with Basque history and culture. Your novel amazed me with its engaging humanity.

Keep the novels coming.... I'll keep reading the sports section and watching for more of your work!

--Irene Hicks

- Anonymous

Feb 03, 2010 2:42 PM EST

I just finished "Guernica" and found it to be one of the most beautifully written books I have ever had the honor to read. I am still close enough to it at the moment to feel the "loss" of a family I have become part of and it is not often that I am so emotionally involved with the characters in a book.

- Renate Perls

Feb 03, 2010 2:56 PM EST

Dear Renate,

What a lovely note. Thank you so much for sharing.

Dave

- Dave Boling

Feb 08, 2010 1:06 AM EST

I have just finished your book Guernica, and am at a loss for words. I have lived in Lekeitio for the last 12years, my beautiful wife is from gernika, i have walked the streets mentioned, swam to the island many times,drink regularly in El Guria, travelled the roads, seen all the landmarks and have been to the market in gernika on mondays many many times,so I have to say i was a little dubious at first when my mum sent me the book, but as i enjoy reading and had little else in english to read i picked it up... i couldnt put it down!
I have struggled through 'el dia en que murio guernica' by Gordon Thomas and Max Morgan Witts in spanish, kindly donated by my mother-in-law, and have also read 'The Basque History of the World' by Mark Kurlansky, so i am familiar with the facts about gernika and the basque history. Your book was an amazing yet somehow uplifting insight into tragic times, blending facts with fiction to create a most memorable experience.Thankyou.
Just a couple of coincidences to mention, my afore mentioned mother-in-law was sheltered in the church Santa Maria during the bombing of gernika, and my wonderful 3 year daughter speaks that amazing mixture of spanish, basque and english!

- Michael George

Feb 08, 2010 6:09 AM EST

Dear Michael,

I'm so grateful for your comments. As you could probably tell from the tone of my book, I very much loved the time I've spent in Lekeitio (what a magical little town) and that I developed a real passion for the story and the people of Guernica/Gernika. I hope to get back there ... the first round at Bar Guria will be my treat!

Dave

- Dave Boling

Feb 15, 2010 8:48 AM EST

Thank you for writing your wonderful first novel. Don't stop. What relationship does your wife have to the character of Catalina/Angelina?

- Mary Ridge

Feb 15, 2010 10:10 AM EST

Hi, Mary, thank you for the nice note. No ... I won't stop writing.

I'm told it's not great for an author to disclose too much about the story behind fiction. In general terms, I'll say that my wife was FAR more "related" to Miren than to Catalina/Angelina ... especially as the Miguel/Miren meeting scene ("You have the eyes of a Gypsy fortune-teller" ...) was pretty much autobiographical. No kidding.

- Dave Boling

Mar 04, 2010 6:33 AM EST

Just finished reading 'Guernica'and found it very enjoyable and informative. Will read some of the books mentioned in Acknowledgements. I've been trying to find a definitive book on the motives of Britain, France and America in their ' Non Intervention Pact '-- something being replicated again with Gaza. Thanks Again.

- John Doran

Mar 04, 2010 6:50 AM EST

Thank you, John. In some of my research, I discovered some interesting points that didn't work into the book, particularly as it revealed the support of American businesses for Franco's fascists. I think it was Standard Oil and Ford Motor Co., that not only did business with Franco, but gave him sweetheart deals, as well.

- Dave Boling

Apr 03, 2010 12:35 AM EDT

I came upon "Guernica" by pure accident, purchasing it from a Book Club and whilst in hospital started reading it. I just couldn't put it down. It blocked out everything going on around me and totally engrossed me in the developing story but being totally ignorant about the Basque culture and the awful events of the Civil War, I was shattered by the events of the bombing. Your description of that afternoon had me shedding buckets of tears. I cannot remember when I was so moved by a novel. It has led me to start researching into the Basque history. I have visited Andalucia many times and love the country but I am now inspired to visit north-east Spain. I am left feeling that I need to know more. Thank you so much.

- Jenny Leslie, Wiltshire, UK

Apr 03, 2010 4:55 AM EDT

Jenny

What a sweet note, thanks so much for sharing it. I hope your hospital stay was short and you're back up to speed. Plesae tell your friends about the book. There's some messages in there I'd love to be spread around.

Take care,

Dave

- Dave Boling

Jul 26, 2010 8:04 PM EDT

Dave,I have just finished reading "Guernica". My husband read it just before me.We both absolutely loved it and were both moved by it.We are both from Auckland,New Zealand.I can't wait to go to Madrid to see the mural, and to travel to the Basque region and meet the people there.Definitely one of the best books I have read.Thankyou so much.Truly fantastic!!

- Philippa Mclennan

Jul 26, 2010 9:03 PM EDT

Dear Philippa,

Thank you so much for the kind note. And for digging up the website and the blog to comment. I have not been to New Zealand (would love to go), but from what I've seen in pictures, it probably looks and feels a lot like the Basque country. It's so beautiful there. The people are incredibly warm and hospitable, and the food is absolutely amazing!

I did an author's presentation at a literary festival with New Zealand writer Rachael King. (Sound of Butterflies). She was delightful, and I would recommend her book if you haven't read it.

Thanks again. Take care,

Dave

- Dave Boling

Sep 09, 2010 7:28 PM EDT

Loved your moving story of the Basques. Am wondering if Josephine Murelaga whom you mention could be the same Jo Murelaga from Boise, ID who was my classmate at Boise High? My sister also married into a Basque family from Reno. Good luck with your future ventures.

- Casey Lindell

Sep 09, 2010 8:06 PM EDT

Yes, Casey, same Jo!. My mother-in-law. So glad you liked the book. Tell your friends!

Sincerely,

Dave

- Dave Boling

Oct 22, 2010 1:10 PM EDT

Desde Navarra, una lectora de A los cuatro vientos , sencillamente soberbia.

Felicidades ,también a tu esposa.

- Lourdes Clemente

Oct 22, 2010 1:49 PM EDT

Muchas gracias!!!!

- Dave Boling