The Age of Disenchantments: The Epic Story of Spain’s Most Notorious Literary Family and the Long Shadow of the Spanish Civil War

Aaron Shulman’s The Age of Disenchantments chronicles the Spanish Civil War through a detailed account of the Panero family, a family full of poets, ambitions, and tragedies. The Panero family was headed by the famous Spanish poet Leopoldo Panero, who rose through the fascist party as the war continued, capitalizing on his talent with language and taking up work with the fascist propaganda office. As Leopoldo rose through the ranks, his wife, Felicidad, fell into deeper unhappiness and isolation. The couple had three children, all of whom had a difficult relationship with their father and his role in the War. None of his sons would reach the artistic heights to which they aspired. One even attempted suicide. The family troubles eerily mimicked the turmoil of a country in a terrible upheaval. Indeed, the War provided a perfect backdrop to the family’s narrative.

Shulman is able to bring to life the Panero family’s heartache and the Spanish Civil War’s devastation as only a trained journalist can: by mixing history, interviews, and well-honed research to complete a full picture for the reader. The resulting work avoids a dry historical retelling of the War, instead, weaving a narrative story that piques even non-historians’ interest.