A political and historical critique of David Uclés’s "The Peninsula of Empty Houses"

The following article - book review was originally published in Rizospastis, Organ of the CC of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE), on 8-9 August 2026, under the title "A Publishing Phenomenon of “Equal Distances". Real below the English translation: 

David Uclés’s novel has become a genuine publishing phenomenon. More than 400,000 copies have been sold in Spain, translations have appeared in dozens of languages, and the book has been embraced by critics and readers alike as a major literary fresco of the Spanish Civil War. Precisely because its influence is so extensive, it deserves to be approached critically—not in terms of its literary technique, but of its political content and the way in which it shapes collective memory of one of the most decisive events of the twentieth century.

Nikos Mottas' book exposing anti-communist forgeries presented at International Book Fair

The book titled “Yes, But Stalin...”, written by Nikos Mottas, was successfully presented on Sunday 7 May in Thessaloniki, Greece's second largest city. 

 

In the fully-packed "Dialogos" hall, at the premises of the 19th International Book Fair, the presentation attracted the interest of dozens of people who attended the event. 

Grover Furr: Message for Nikos Mottas' book on Stalin and Anti-communism

Message sent by Professor Grover Furr on the occasion of the presentation of Nikos Mottas' book titled "Yes, but Stalin..." in Athens:

"I am glad to hear that Nikos Mottas’ book exposing and opposing the attacks on the Soviet Union, especially on the period of Soviet history when Joseph Stalin was the leader of the Communist Party and, for some period, of the government of the Soviet Union.

"Yes, but Stalin...", by Nikos Mottas: New book exposing anti-communist lies released in Greece

The book's cover.

What were the Moscow Trials and the so-called “Great Purge” of 1936-38? Who was the actual perpetrator of the Katyn Massacre? What was the Molotov-Ribbentrop non-aggression pact and is it true that Stalin allied with Hitler? What was agreed at the Yalta Conference? Why was the Berlin Wall built? What happened in Hungary and Czecholoslovakia in 1956 and 1968 respectively? Who were Aleksandr Solzenitsyn and George Orwell? Is there a dictatorship in Cuba? How does the EU systematically promote anti-communist revision of history?

The above are some of the questions answered in the new book written by “In Defense of Communism” editor in chief Nikos Mottas and published in Greek language by Atexnos Publishing House.