Lea la traducción al español aquí.

I’m still rubbing my eyes in disbelief — I have in hand a full Spanish translation of Fighting for Democracy by Jim Higgins. Si, el libro Luchando por la Democracia de Jimmy Higgins, ha sido traducido al translado al espagñol!

It’s all because of a man named Juan José Ibañez Esnal who lives in San Sebastián, a port city in Basque Country in northern Spain near the French border. Here’s how it all went down.

In early October 2020, a stranger reached out to me on Facebook, introducing himself as Juan José. He told me he had read Fighting for Democracy after seeing a copy I’d donated for display at the Museum in Corbera d’Ebre. That’s the town where my father, Jim Higgins, had saved the life of Manuel Alvarez during the Spanish Civil War.

Juan José expressed his appreciation of learning about the Mac-Paps through my father’s story and I learned a tiny bit about his own family’s story, especially that his father, Julian Ibañez, who fought on the Republican side, had expressed great admiration for the Canadian volunteers he’d met when hospitalized at Cambrils in Catalonia.

He also told me that his family knew the Manuel Alvarez/Jim Higgins story because of the publicity it received in Spain in the 1980s. That was it. Or so I thought.

Two days later, Juan José messaged me again: This time with the incredible offer to translate the book, saying, “I hope this will help make your father’s admirable story known in all Spanish-speaking countries.”

Just like that.

I knew that many in Spain feel deep gratitude to the international volunteers who fought to defend their country’s democracy against fascism. I liken it to the appreciation the Dutch feel for the Canadian soldiers who liberated them at the end of World War II. Still, this would be a remarkable show of appreciation.

You might imagine my thoughts. Who was this stranger? Would he follow through? Would it be a good translation? 

At this point, a Spaniard-Canadian enters the picture: Juan Gavasa, editor of Lattin Magazine, which is published out of Toronto. I had already “met” Juan G. after I came across his tweeted link to an article he’d written for his Spanish speaking readership here in Canada; it was about the Mac-Paps and included the Manuel Alvarez/Jim Higgins story.

Juan G. and I had talked about how great it would be to have a Spanish translation but it’s a huge amount of work with a big bill to pay and I don’t have bounteous resources: It didn’t seem within the realm of possibility.

But now, here I was with this remarkable offer. To demonstrate his sincerity, Juan José offered to do a sample translation with no strings attached. I got in touch with Juan Gavasa who offered to read the sample. I sent it to him and he assured me it was well done. Somehow, he was also sure of Juan José’s commitment; that he would follow through.

Done! Juan José Ibañez Esnal, a stranger in Spain (I now knew his last names), would undertake to do the translation. Every few weeks I received an update. Then on Sunday, April 25, 2021, it was finished. Juan José clicked “send” and I am now the fortunate, and somewhat flabbergasted, recipient of the complete translation of my father’s book.

There’s a long way to go before seeing the book published in Spanish, if ever (it’s a tough gig) but I know at least one committed Spaniard who is determined to see it happen.

Am I covered in horseshoes, or what.

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In this post, I delve into Juan José’s family story and learn the surprising reasons he made his generous offer. He has lofty goals.

Though any publisher will reserve the right to change it, the working title in Spanish is:  Luchando por la Democracia: La Verdadera Historia de Jim Higgins (1907 – 1982), Un Activista Canadiense en la Guerra Civil Española

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Fighting for Democracy: The True Story of Jim Higgins (1907-1982), A Canadian Activist in Spain’s Civil War can be ordered here.