Part Two of Life in Revolutionary Barcelona - The Anarchist Library

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Life in Revolutionary
Barcelona
Manolo Gonzalez
ManoloGonzalez
LifeinRevolutionaryBarcelona
OriginallypublishedinAnarchy:AJournalofDesire
Armed(AJODA)#35—Winter’93&AJODA#36—Spring’93asa
twopartseries
theanarchistlibrary.org
tomobilesofEuropeantouristsspeededthroughatfullblast.Steve
guidedmetothestreetswherethebattlehadbeentheworst,where
hundredsofmenfellinhandtohandcombat.Stevepointedouta
field near an old wall. “There is where Oliver Law died.” He was
theCaptainoftheBattalion,thefirstAfro-Americantoleadwhite
menintobattle.
SeatedinanopencafewehadFrenchsodas,breadandchorizos.
We talked about America, when suddenly Steve said: “You guys,”
meaningtheanarchists,“weresofulloffire,sofullofpassion.You
had such a rare nobility. It took me a couple of years in an Amer-
ican jail, the confessions of Kruschev and a broken heart before I
finally left the Communist Party. Ah!, but Spain…Bar-celona…the
FAI-CNT…that was life. The romance of my youth. Nothing has
ever touched it. I would not have missed it for anything in the
world.”

27
“We are alive, we will survive.” Then she kissed me. First on my
cheek, then on my lips. I responded the best I could. Her father
cametohelpherwithhercoat.“SeeyouinFrance,Palitos,”Liber-
tadturnedandgavealittlewaveasshewalkedoutthedoor.
Contents
In the middle of January of 1939 my parents and some other
friends managed to capture two G.M. trucks. Everybody carried
a weapon. My mother carried her old pistol. We left Barcelona in
thedark,atafuriousspeed.Farawaywecouldheartherumbleof PartOne:Thelibertarianideainamoderncity 5
artillery.Ateveryturnoftheroadwefoundpeoplemovingtoward ThedeathofDurruti . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
France.ThetrucksclimbedthePyreneesslowlyandwithgreatdif- Sonsanddaughtersofthepeople . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
ficulty.Theroadwasicy,slippery.Wewalkedthefinaltrektothe Libertarianeducation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
borderwithFrance.TheFrenchhadstationedSenegalesetroopsto Atimeforfreedom. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
control the refugees. I liked the guards with their black faces and Defendingthesocialrevolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
red colonial kepis. An entry in by diary ready: “January 29. We
The Politics of Betrayal: Part Two of Life in Revolu-
crossed the border. Cold but sunny. Can’t walk much, frostbite.”
tionaryBarcelona 14
Spainwasbehindusnow.
TheCollectiveEconomy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
After W.W.II I came back to France to attend university. I met
AValleyinSpaincalledJarama . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Libertadagain.Wehadsurvived.
In July of 1986 I returned to Catalonia. It was the 50th anniver- RepressionandCounterrevolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
IntoExile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
saryoftheCivilWar.Barcelonahadchanged.TheinfamousMayor
Josep Maria de Por-cioles, a Franco favorite who probably hated
Catalonia,haddestroyedthemostinterestingviewsinthecityand
left developers from Madrid free to construct modernistic build-
ings without character or elegance, just simple greed. Industrial
slums,blocksofapartmentslikethesad,greyprojectsofMoscow,
hadbeenerectedinaperiodoftwentyyears.Francohadmanaged
to degrade Barcelona. So now a plan to restore the old neighbor-
hoods was in full swing. Our house was still more or less intact,
but the street was full of porno shops and ‘American’ bars. Cars
wereparkedinchaoticclusterseverywhereonthesidewalks.
TheveteransoftheLincolnBattalionvisitedsomebattlefields.I
metSteveNelson,theCommanderoftherightwingintheattack
on Brunete. We took an air conditioned bus looking for the town.
Itwasahot,drysummerday.Brunetehadanewhighway,andau-
26 3
Hamlet died in the arms of Horatio, although he had time to ex-
horteverybodytothebarricadesandoverthrowthemonarchy.
Ourlittlepuppets.Howpassionatelytheyhadloved.Hownobly
theyhaddied,evenastheirlittlebodiesconvulsedwithpain.
Thefinalscenemobilizedthepeople.Unionbanners,miniature
cannons, signs proclaiming workers’ unity, a contingent of FAI-
CNTand,finally,Hamlet,coveredbyaredandblackflag.Wechil-
drenstoodup,weraisedourarmsandclenchedourfistshighabove
ourheads.Itwasafurious,solemnhomagetotheheroofthepeo-
ple.
InDecember1937thechildcareclosed.Theex-nuns,throughthe
influenceoftheQuakers,weregivenasyluminEngland.Manychil-
dren were sent to Sweden. Nobody in our center wanted to send
theirsonsanddaughterstotheSovietUnion.Myparentstoldme,
“Westaytogether.Totheend.Weliveordie,butwestaytogether!”
The “fifth column,” automobiles with armed fascists, started to
roam Barcelona, shooting people, attacking unions and offices of
the leftist press. Priests again were seen lurking here and there
aroundBarcelona.
IinvitedLibertadtoteainmyhouse.Shecamewithajarofplum
jam. My mother made us tea and served some cakes made of rice
flour. Then we played records. We sang along to Ellington lyrics
and cried to “Solitude.” When Armstrong sang “I can’t give you
anythingbutlove,”weheldhandsandknewmuchaboutlove.Rat-
aplan,mycatcametoplaywithus,andbestowedhisfavorswith
unusualimpartiality.Wewentouttothepatio.Theweatherwasal-
readycold.Myplantswerereadyforhibernation.Someswallows,
flyinglow,madepassesoverourheads.Nightwascomingandwe
knewwehadonlyalittlewhiletosaygood-bye.
Libertad’s father arrived to escort her home. The streets were
dangerous now. He had a pistol under his arm in a sling like a
gangsterandarevolverinthepocketofhisjacket.
For a last few moments my friend and I were alone together in
acornerofthehouse.“Palitos,don’tlooksogloomy,”shetoldme.
25
Everynuanceandsarcasmwasenhancedtoourintensedelight.
In Polon-ious, idiotic, sentimental, senile we recognized the delu-
sionsoftheEuropeanmiddleclasses:thesameplatitudes,thesame
wisdomofselfishindividualismwehadbeenbroughtuptodespise.
Part One: The libertarian idea
When Hamlet is asked by Polonious “What are you reading, my
lord.”Heanswers:“Words,words,words.”Weroaredandscreamed
in a modern city
withpleasure.“Mylord”wasoneofthemanynicknamesgivento
thePresidentoftheRepublic,Azana,anerudite,butpompousand
overblownorator.“Words,words,words”washowweridiculedhis
Our house in Barcelona, in the Ramblas, conveniently close to
speeches.ThecasualkillingofPolonioussymbolizedourcontempt
theRialtoCinema,wasanancient,respectablebuilding.Itwasre-
forthebourgeoisie.
constructedinthelate1800s,onthesiteofadwellingthatwelike
Thepuppetsweremagicallyalive.Suchease,suchindividuality.
tobelievewasoriginallyfromthetimeoftheRomans.Itwaspur-
The soliloquy was recited as the inner metaphysics of anarchism,
chased by my grandfather Mariano on the eve of his wedding to
our contradictions and concerns with moral issues. We children
mygrandmotherHortencia.Beforethathisfamilyhadrentedthe
andadultsalikewereimmersedintheanguishofthisheropuppet,
house and a small piece of land used as a tannery. For all I know
dressedinblack,afragilereminderofourownpainatthethreshold
wehadlivedalwaysinthishouse.Ihadalargeroomnearapatio
of exile. For all of us in that moment it was our truth: “…to be or
whereIkeptpottedplants.Asmallfountainadornedthelittleopen
nottobe?”Weallhadouranswer.I,too.Iwantedtobe.Iwanted
area;thebirdsuseditasadrinkingfountainandaplacetorefresh
tolove.
themselvesinthehotsummerdays.
Thetensiongrewunbearable.Then,surprise,therewasaninter-
In 1934 our house was raided by the Republican police in the
mission.Thechildrenrantogetsnacksofbreadandmolasses.Ihad
aftermathoftheinsurrectioninCasasViejas.Myfatherwenttojail
tolookbehindthestage.Mymotherwasexhausted.Shewavedand
withmanyotherCataloniananarchists.Itwasallpartofourfamily
threwmeakiss.
tradition;mygrandfatherMarianowasa‘freethinker’,acodeword
We rushed back to our seats. This time my friend Libertad was
for an atheist, libertarian and a proponent of “propaganda by the
next to me. Now we were back in the conspiracy, the malevo-
deed.”Duringthegreatworkersstrikein1915hewenttojail.His
lence, the deals. But Hamlet, the good tribune, noble, generous,
fiercenationalism,hisadamantattitudeabouttheindependenceof
proclaimed justice and revolution. Horatio cried out the moral
Catalonia, and even Aragon impressed me like a sacred fire that I
conscienceofthepeople.NowwehatedtheKing,hehadtodie.
shouldkeepaliveforever.Healwaystalkedaboutbombs,weapons,
Whenthefinalduelcame,wescreamedferociouslyforHamlet.
‘tools’,asthegroupofPestanaandotherscalledpistolsanddaggers.
The clash of the swords was real, sparks jumped between the du-
ButIdon’tthinkmygrandfatheractuallyevershotanyone.Hewas
elists.Thevoiceswereexcited,fullofpower.
busywithhisbusiness,theimportationofseedsforthefarmersof
A cry of horror arose when Hamlet was stabbed with the poi-
Andalusia,CataloniaandAragon.Hespecializedinobtainingseeds
soned sword. “Treason — treason,” we shouted. “He’s faking…he
fromtheAmericanShakers.“Theyarelikeus,”heexplainedtome.
has to get up…come on!… fight back, kill the bastards!” Slowly
24 5
The Civil War in Spain seemed to me to have been going on Butbeforeleaving,thepeopleinthechildcarecollectivedecided
forever.MyfatherleftfortheMadridfrontin1936.Hewasincor- to offer a program never to be forgotten. For a couple of weeks,
poratedintotheDurrutiColumn,organizedinthedesperatedays whileourcuriosityreachedararelevelofexpectation,mymother
oflateOctoberwhenitseemedasthoughMadridmightfalltothe and other puppeteers were rehearsing, writing and trying voices.
fascists. A finely handcrafted array of puppets was created out of vats
of papier-mache. Collections of miniature weapons, lances and
swordswereaccumulated.
The death of Durruti
OnacercainSaturdayaneatlyprintedprogramannouncedthe
presentation of a four-act production of Hamlet. The program in-
ThefirsttimeIfeltdirectly,personallytouchedbythewarwas
cludedasummaryoftheplot,andnotesaboutthelightsandstage.
whenIheardRadioCataloniaannouncingthedeathofBuenaven-
turaDurruti.Itwasthe21st ofNovember1936.Durrutiwasanold The stage was new and the technical accomplishments were an
achievementofgreatpride.
friend of my family. He often came to dinner and always carried
Abouttwointheafternoonpeoplestartedtoarrive.Allthepup-
an oversized Parabellum pistol. A large, extravagant weapon, bet-
peteers and voices were already out of sight. We children were
terforfieldoperationsthancityprotection.“Well,ithas21bullets
given the front rows. We could almost touch the mystery and ex-
anditismywaytotelleverybodytokeepawayfromme,”heused
citement. After a short musical introduction, performed on two
toexplaintomyparentsinhishardCastillianthatwasdifficultfor
guitarsandadrum,thehallwasdarkenedandsimultaneouslythe
metounderstand.DurrutiwasfromLeon.IspokeCastillianwith
stage was illuminated, provoking exclamations. Soft white lights,
difficulty.Catalanwasmyfirstlanguage.
subtlecolorsandcontrastingshadowsenhancedtheproscenium.
A few days after Durruti’s death my father came back to
And very slowly, as though moved by a breeze, the curtains
Barcelona. He needed instructions from the FAI-CNT [the Iberian
openedtorevealthecastleofElsinore.Theaudiencewasmesmer-
Anarchist Federation in alliance with the anarcho-syndicalist Na-
ized when amid the thinnest of bluish veils the ghost of Hamlet’s
tional Confederation of Workers], and the Generalitat of Catalonia
fatherappearedabovetheesplanade.Wewerecaughtupintheil-
now that Durruti was dead. “We were in the new University City,
lusionofthesupernatural.Hamlet,thatsolemn,neuroticPrinceof
nearoneofthebattalionsoftheInternationalBrigades,”myfather
Denmark,revealedhimselfarevolutionaryhero,adefenderofthe
told us. “The English and Canadians were holding the Science
people, a challenger of hedonistic and venal rulers. But this Ham-
Library building. Durruti was with four friends, when one bullet
lettoograduallyconvincedusofhisloveforOpheliaandwewere
killed him instantly. His chauffeur thought it was an accident.”
drawnintotheinexorableperfidyofthepoliticianswhowouldbe-
But Baltazar Porcel in his book La Revnelta Pemianente published
traybothofthem.
in 1975 insinuates that Durruti was assassinated by Communists.
Gertrude the Queen, sensual of voice, elegant of movement
TherealwayswillbecontroversyaboutDurruti’sdeath.
andsofascinatinglyambivalent,soenragingtoHamlet.TheKing,
ThefuneralofDurrutiwasattendedbyalmost250,000menand
never a doubt in him, lustful, crude, voracious for wine and food.
womenfromalloverCataloniaandAragon.Afterthat,Barcelona
We children relished his jokes and jeered at Hamlet’s brattish
changed. The civil war became a cruel, confusing episode. There
ripostes.
6 23
Germans,Austrian,Czechsandothermenwithoutacountrytore- was the enemy we knew: the fascists, Franco, Hitler, Mussolini.
turn to stayed to “die in Barcelona.” I made an entry in my diary. And then there was the enemy we could not always identify, the
“WenttosaygoodbyetotheI.B.’s.Threwgeraniums.Iwentwith authoritarian marxists, the ‘Cheka’ and his Russian commissars,
Libertad.” fearedbecausetheylivedamongus.
Libertad was my friend. We shared a passion for cinema and
American jazz. We satisfied our addictions with French movies
Sons and daughters of the people
and the radio transmissions of Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington
and Django Reinhardt. We also managed to collect phonograph
My father returned to the front. My mother was called to the
records. Eventually we accumulated about a hundred 78s. My
women’smilitia,whoseassignmentwastoguardthebuildingsthat
parents’ tastes were toward Stravinsky and Flamenco, and they
theFAI-CNTneededsecuredtoavoidcontrolofBarcelonabythe
frequentlydemandedItonedowntherecordplayer.
militaryandpoliticalmachineoftheCommunists.
AtthetimeIwascalledTalitos’(Matchstick)andtogetherwith
Into Exile other children was supervised in a collective childcare center, or-
ganizedbyfamiliesinvolvedinthemobilizationforthewar.Itwas
I lost all interest in the conflict when I realized we had lost the staffed by people opposed to violence, including a British Quaker,
war and the revolution, just as my father had predicted. I folded and several ex-nuns who embraced libertarian principles with
mymapsandreplacedthemwithphotosofjazzmenandLibertad greattalent.Theanarchists’childrendistributedamongourselves
andmeintheRamblas,onthebeachandintheMay1st parade. duties, like cooking, kitchen cleaning, recreation and self-defense
Thechildcarecenterhadnowbecomearefugeformanyadults withchaoticinefficiency:butitwaswewhodecided!Wechanged
who were disgusted by the repression in Barcelona and who duties almost every day. The socialists and communists tried a
wanted to dedicate time and effort to their families. My mother vertical organization with pint-sized commissars, salutes with
was seriously involved in the theatrical activities of the center. clenched fists and evena minuscule bureaucracywitha secretary
My father was moved to the front of Aragon, a rather quiet area general and a treasurer. They tried a trumpet call to announce
but soon to explode in the final offensive of General Yagüe, the meals. When the communists appeared with a big portrait of
fanaticalCatholicallyofFranco.Barcelona,mycity,wouldfallto Stalin we hooted them down, we laughed at them. “We are free,
thefascistsattheendofJanuaryof1939.TherevengeonCatalonia you scum.” The little reds caught by surprise complained to the
was horrific. In the first week of occupation the fascists executed party. An adult showed up. He harangued us, “To win the war
over10,000menandwomen.Mostlyanarchists. we need discipline and order.” We went into direct action. First a
Quietly my parents decided to go into exile in France and then strike.Dirtydisheseverywhere.Theredshadtostoptheirmilitary
to Latin America where we had relatives. Other anarchists, writ- dutiesandcleanup.Thenwestartedtocookonlyforfreechildren.
ers and intellectuals, already on the death list of Franco and the The reds gave up; we all became Hijos del Pueblo. Equality and
Communists,agreedtoaplantoescape. libertariancommunism.
22 7
Barcelona’scityhallsentfood.Excellentfruit,lentils,rice,milk The militias were abolished and many battalions incorporated
and poultry. A doctor visited every Monday. The Generalitat of into the People’s Army. Women were not permitted on the battle-
Catalonia had decreed free education for all. That included many field.Mymotherstayedathomenow;shehidherrifle,pistoland
adults.Menandwomenafterfinishingtheirjobsattendedthedif- ammunition.
ferentilliteracynightprograms.Cultureforthepeoplewasoneof ThegovernmentmovedtoBarcelonaattheendof1937.InMarch
theardentdemandsoftheFAI-CNT. of1938,BarcelonawasbombedbyGermanandItalianplanes.
By the middle of 1938 a negotiated peace agreement, in which
the Republic could either save territory or be part of a transition
Libertarian education
government, was the most we could hope for. The animosity be-
tweenthecentralgovernmentandautonomousregionsofCatalo-
Thecollectivechildcarewasrunasanelementaryschool.Teach-
nia and Aragon was deepening, mostly on the issue of a strategy
ers that had worked in the Ferrer schools were freed from duties
toendthewar.
inthemilitia,andgivenpositionsinCatalonianschools.Eventhe
The western democracies, already alarmed by the presence of
burguesitos attended.Inourschoolthechildrenorganizedthecur-
the Red Army in Spain, were now repelled by the repression and
riculum.Wehatedmilitarismandreligion;artandculture,asOur
theassassinationsoftheleadersofthePOUM.
parents had taught us, were our most intense passions. We sang,
Still all during 1937–38 the Republic confronted the superior
wewrotereportsontheclassics,weactedrevolutionaryplaysand
forces of Franco, the Moroccan mercenaries and its other allies,
demandedfilms.Chaplin,AmericanwesternsandFrenchmelodra-
the Nazis and Italian fascists, in a series of battles: Brunete, Bel-
mas. We wanted history. The Carlistas war, the Napoleonic wars
chite,TeruelinwhichthefloweroftheSpanishworkingclasswas
andespeciallytheorganizingoftheAmericanfederation.Wewere
decimated. All Republican offensives had to stop due to the lack
allfederalists!
of ammunition, planes and tanks. The Soviet Union doled out its
FromJuly1936inCataloniaandpartsofAragonthecollectiviza-
militaryaidontheexactionofpoliticalpayment:atrocitiesagainst
tionofthemeansofproductiongatheredmomentum.Yearsofplan-
theoppositiontoStalin.
ning,discussionsandreamscametobetestedonthefarms,inthe
ThelastoffensiveintheEbrocostthelivesofabout18,000Loy-
industries and especially in running one of the most modern Eu-
alists. The battle was fought between July and September 1938. It
ropeancities,certainlythemostadvancedtechnicalcapitolofthe
toofailedforlackofwarmateriel.
Iberic Peninsula. Catalonia was an autonomous society ready to
ThetrialsoftheoldBolshevikshadstartedinMoscow.Hitlerand
trycooperationandmutualaid.
Stalinweresoontosealtheirfriendshipinapact.Negrindecided
We traveled all around Barcelona. Transportation was free, so
toappeasethewesterndemocraciesbyremovingtheInternational
wewenttofactoriestobeneartheworkersandlearnhowtorun
BrigadesfromSpain.HehopedthiswouldpressuretheNazisand
machines. We went to farms to see the land reform. We visited
Italian fascists to stop their intervention. Barcelona gave an emo-
museums. Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia we disdained. In those excur-
tional farewell to the Internationalists. On November 15 of 1938,
sionswecarriedvouchersthatwerehonoredinmanyrestaurants
inalastparadethroughthestreetsofBarcelona,underthecolors
that were part of the collectivized food industry. After we went
ofmanynationsthevolunteersleftSpain.Butnotall.About6,000
8 21
Many anti-fascist Italians, anarchists and socialists, fought in tosee“SwanLake,”Idemandeddanceclasses.MyfriendLibertad,
Guadalajara, among them Pietro Nenni, future Prime Minister of wholovedJeanGabin,organizedapetitionforsexeducation.The
Italy. socialists and the communists were opposed. Some parents came
to protest, “It will encourage promiscuity,” and they talked about
“family values.” The reds quoted Stalin about the sanctity of the
Repression and Counterrevolution
Family and in strange alliance with the Catholics denounced our
interestaspornographyintheschools.ItwaspartoftheCommu-
ByJuneof1937theNKVD-prede-cessoroftheRussianKGB-had
nistpolicytobenicetothemiddleclasses.Aboy,CarlosLizarraga,
moved in force into Barcelona.. June 16 Andres Nin was arrested
sonofaCommunistpolitician,piously,requestedmorningprayers,
and moved to a secret jail in Madrid. On instructions of Stalin he
“for our heroes at the front.” He was embarrassed. Still blushing,
wasaskedto‘confess’crimesandtobeafascistagent.Torturedto
he was given an education in war strategy, weapons, and tactics.
death,hisbodywasneverfound.AfterNinmostoftheleadership
“Who wins does not depend on God, or the Virgin, you ass.” We
ofthePOUMwasjailed,executedorforcedintoexile.
were scathing. When Carlos tried to explain: “My father told me
George Orwell, a member of the POUM militia, barely escaped
I could go to the workers’ paradise, to the Soviet Union,” we en-
arrest and had to leave Spain. His book Homage to Catalonia was
lightenedhimaboutthedictatorship,thetrialsinMoscowandthe
one of the first to denounce the Communists’ role in the betrayal
murders of the old Bolsheviks. He never came back to our school.
oftheSpanishrevolution.
IsawhimintheMay1st parade,inhisuniformasaPioneer.Iwas
Among my parents’ friends and the FAI-CNT a wave of indig-
dressed as an American Indian. My face and chest painted in red,
nation helped mobilize militias, the press and international pub-
whiteandblack,mytribalcolors.Ihadan“eaglefeathers”warbon-
licopinionagainstthecrimesinCatalonia.Iheardaboutthemur-
netandbrandisheda‘tomahawk’.MyfriendLibertadwasdressed
derofCamilloBerneri,anItaliananarchistphilosopher;hewasar-
asaFrenchrevolutionary,withapikeandablackflag.
restedinahotel,takentothesubwaynearLacayetanaandgunned
Finallyitwasdecidedthatsexeducationwouldbeacoursewith
down. A few days later in the Urquinaoa Square a boy, grandson
voluntaryattendance.Allthechildrenattended!Theyevenbrought
oftheanarchisteducatorFranciscoFerrer,wasmurdered.Afriend
theirfriendsfromotherschools.
of my father, Domingo Ascaso, brother of Paco, a Commander in
Sexeducationturnedouttobeclassesinsexualethics,birthcon-
theMadridfront,waskilledinjail.Themostterriblecrimeofthose
trol,sexualviolencewithspecificcondemnationofrapeandincest.
dayswastheexecutionofaboutthirtymembersoftheLibertarian
Tothedelightoftheex-nunstherewasaromanticdefenseoffree
Youth.TheywereshotattheMoncadacemetery,andleftinanopen
love.“Nostate,nochurchcanruleinourheartsandbodies.”Some
grave.
enthusiastic girls designed a big poster,“Menstruation is freedom
ThecentralgovernmentinValencianotonlywantedtostopthe
andaprivilegeofwomen.”FedericaMontseny,ananarchistpropo-
collectivization,butalsotocomplywiththedirectivesofStalinto
nentoffreedomforwomen,visitedtheschool.Shegaveuschoco-
annihilate the Trotskyites. It was part of the price exacted from
late bars, a gift from the French syndicalists;’ we gave her songs
Spainforthemilitaryaid.Thegoldreservesofthecountrywentto
andflowers.
theSovietUnion.
20 9
InCatalonia,asintherestofSpain,syphilisandothervenereal Several months later my father related the disaster to a group
diseases were a curse on the working class. Women of all classes of Catalonians. I was reading Catalunya a newspaper in Catalan.
joined the clubs of the FAI-CNT to be educated about this hor- Castillian was still hard for me. “Palitos, come here you have
ror that destroyed the lives of so many of the people, especially to learn this,” said my father while narrating the plot against
thepoor.Thechurchhadaheavyblameforignoringtheplightof the Americans. “And to the attack they went. Oh! the gallant
womeninfectedbyhusbandsandboyfriends. boys. They attacked the enemy. They charged with bayonets and
grenades. They confronted death singing songs of freedom, and
died with their fists high in a last gesture of defiance, certain of
A time for freedom
the final victory.” My father knew the price of all that gallantry.
Of about 450 Americans, 160 were killed. Bob Merriman was
WhennotinschoolIwasconfinedtothehouse.Theneighbors
wounded.GalandCopifcescapedbehindthelines.Inafinalirony,
werealerttoanyattackbythefascist“fifthcolumn.”Therewasfear
they were recalled to Moscow and shot. After World War Two
that the Communists, too, might kidnap members of the POUM
MartywasexpelledfromtheFrenchCommunistparty.
[theWorkersPartyofMarxistUnification,alliedwiththerevolution-
A few years later in France I found a collection of songs from
aryanarchists],oranarchists.
the Spanish Civil War. Among them there was a remembrance of
Athome,inourlittlepatioIcultivatedgeraniumsandhadacat,
Jarama.
Rataplan, a real anarchist. He accepted his food in exchange for
chasingmice.WhenIhadfinishedmyschoolassignmentswecould
“There’savalleyinSpaincalledJarama
play.Wewouldplaycatandmouse.Iwasalwaysthemouse.Thecat
It’saplaceweallknow”toowell
wasafearlessenemyofmiceandplanes.Whentheairraidsstarted,
For‘twastherethatwewastedourmanhood,
Rataplanwouldstalkaboutmenacinglyinthepatio,watchingfor
Andmostofouroldageaswell”
the planes. I was so proud of my Rataplan, heroic and elegant in
thefaceofdeath.
Themusicwas“RedRiver,”anold“oldwest”Americantune.
My mother, after twelve hours of militia duty in the Telefon-
In March of 1937 a new offensive on Madrid was initiated by
ica,camehome,putawayhererifle,pistolandammunitioninthe
theItalianfascists.TheybasedtheattackinGuadalajara,about25
kitchen. Then after she took a long bath we could go out. To visit
miles from the Capital. This time the fascists confronted the 14th
friends and to hear news from the Madrid front, where my father
division, along with other shock troops of the Republic. Cipriano
wasstillonduty.
Mera was the CNT commander of the central forces. A great or-
Foodwasadequateandkeptinexpensivebythecooperativesof
ganizer, disdainful of the military ‘experts’ and wise to the tricks
farmersthatwereencouragedtoopenmarketsalloverBarcelona.
of the Communists, he announced that his troops would decide
We could go shopping and get our basic supplies. Still I craved
the moment of attack, He wanted to avoid. another carnage like
sweets,andmymotherwantedmeatforsoupsandstews.Butwe
Jarama. When Mera saw the Russian tanks advancing and Lister
hadmusic,theradioandtheworkersclassicalorchestra,organized
and El Campesino launching their attacks, the anarchists in an ir-
by Pablo Casals. Popular theater was offered in open parks, espe-
resistiblechargeterrorizedtheItalians.
10 19