The Fifth Column is Ernest Hemingway's only full-length play, a work of fiction set during the Spanish Civil War, and was published as a paperback edition by Penguin Books Ltd in 1966.
Overview of the Play
The Fifth Column is a play inspired by Hemingway's experiences as a war correspondent in Madrid in the 1930s. The title refers to a group of people working from within to support an enemy, a term that originated during the Spanish Civil War.
Plot: The story centers on Philip Rawlings, an American counter-espionage agent for the Second Spanish Republic operating undercover as a "third-rate newspaperman". He is stationed at the Hotel Florida in Madrid, which is under constant bombardment. Rawlings struggles with the brutal nature of his work, which involves tracking down and interrogating fascist sympathizers, and is torn between his commitment to the cause and his desire for a normal life with Dorothy Bridges, a wealthy American war correspondent. Ultimately, he chooses to break with Dorothy and continue his dangerous mission.
Characters:
Philip Rawlings: A cynical, hard-drinking, yet idealistic American agent for the Republican side.
Dorothy Bridges: A glamorous, somewhat naive American journalist who falls in love with Philip.
Themes: The play explores the complexities of war and love, the psychological toll of conflict, commitment to political convictions, and the moral ambiguities of life in a besieged city.
Reception: The play was poorly received when it was first published and has been largely overshadowed by Hemingway's short stories and novels, such as For Whom the Bell Tolls, which also drew from his Spanish Civil War experiences.
The 1966 Edition
The 1966 version was a paperback release by Penguin Books Ltd, part of their "Penguin Plays" series (PL64).
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd.
Publication Date: May 1, 1966.
Format: Trade Paperback with a pictorial cover.
Length: 96 pages.
Contents: This edition typically contained only the play itself, as opposed to the original 1938 anthology The Fifth Column and the First Forty-Nine Stories which also included a collection of short stories.