Is it sensible to hope to compile a collection of reviews ? It is
tempting to move on and be content with the publisher's note, but that
would be to miss out on many critical reflections with which Freddy
Gomez accompanies his writings. --- An iconoclastic thinker, the author
debunks the greatest myths of anarchist thought, demystifies the major
figures of the Spanish Revolution, such as Durruti, not for destructive
pleasure, but to give them the full flavor of humanity, neither too
small nor too large, just right. He examines the participation of
anarchist ministers [ 1 ] , the structures of the FAI [ 2 ] , and
the positions taken by various individuals.
This collection of articles, some of which appeared in the journal À
Contretemps , others previously unpublished in French, spans the period
from 1993 to 2013—twenty years of reflections of great political
interest. These "follies of Spain" are like so many variations, between
shadows and light, that run through the history of this Revolution, so
vividly recounted by the author. Freddy Gomez was " nursed " in this
libertarian Spain. It accompanied his childhood. The son of exile and of
a libertarian exile, he rubbed shoulders with the activists of that era.
The writings and debates surrounding the libertarians of the time were
his daily bread. Thus, his reflections are rich in insights.
As he so aptly puts it: “ History is the writing that the present makes
of the past. ” In turn, he undertakes this exercise of critical
inventory of the revolutionary period, which is difficult to summarize
here. Freddy Gomez analyzes the mythology of the revolution from which
libertarians draw their references and energy. As the author succinctly
puts it, he “ strives to understand this complexity as contradictorily,
seriously, and honestly as possible—that is to say, without preconceived
notions, without blinders or ideological lenses… ”
The exercise of reflection is difficult because myths obscure reason,
and it must be admitted that " no simplistic framework for
understanding can grasp the extraordinary difficulty of the moment when,
overnight, a libertarian-type revolution went from dream to reality. And
in the case of Spain, to a reality contrary to the dream, since this
revolution did not take the form of an assault against the old world,
but stemmed from a resistance imposed on a military coup against the
legitimacy of a 'republic of all classes'... [which] the anarchists knew
to be bourgeois. "
Freddy Gomez offers a critical inventory of the successes, but also the
failures, of this remarkable period of social construction, a time of
light and shadow, a chiaroscuro. His questions about the positioning of
libertarian elites are accompanied by considerations on the political
potential of the grassroots. He also explores the relationship between
theory and practice, the connection between ideas and reality, war
anarchism, and many other topics. This is a book to read, to peruse, in
order to try to understand this era and its contradictions.
Dominique Sureau (UCL Angers)
To validate
[ 1 ] Between 1936 and 1937, within the Republican government of the
Popular Front.
[ 2 ] Iberian Anarchist Federation, founded clandestinely in July 1927.
https://www.unioncommunistelibertaire.org/?Lire-Freddy-Gomez-Folies-d-Espagne-Ombres-et-lumieres-d-un-anarchisme-de-guerre
_________________________________________
A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C E
By, For, and About Anarchists
Send news reports to A-infos-en mailing list
A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
tempting to move on and be content with the publisher's note, but that
would be to miss out on many critical reflections with which Freddy
Gomez accompanies his writings. --- An iconoclastic thinker, the author
debunks the greatest myths of anarchist thought, demystifies the major
figures of the Spanish Revolution, such as Durruti, not for destructive
pleasure, but to give them the full flavor of humanity, neither too
small nor too large, just right. He examines the participation of
anarchist ministers [ 1 ] , the structures of the FAI [ 2 ] , and
the positions taken by various individuals.
This collection of articles, some of which appeared in the journal À
Contretemps , others previously unpublished in French, spans the period
from 1993 to 2013—twenty years of reflections of great political
interest. These "follies of Spain" are like so many variations, between
shadows and light, that run through the history of this Revolution, so
vividly recounted by the author. Freddy Gomez was " nursed " in this
libertarian Spain. It accompanied his childhood. The son of exile and of
a libertarian exile, he rubbed shoulders with the activists of that era.
The writings and debates surrounding the libertarians of the time were
his daily bread. Thus, his reflections are rich in insights.
As he so aptly puts it: “ History is the writing that the present makes
of the past. ” In turn, he undertakes this exercise of critical
inventory of the revolutionary period, which is difficult to summarize
here. Freddy Gomez analyzes the mythology of the revolution from which
libertarians draw their references and energy. As the author succinctly
puts it, he “ strives to understand this complexity as contradictorily,
seriously, and honestly as possible—that is to say, without preconceived
notions, without blinders or ideological lenses… ”
The exercise of reflection is difficult because myths obscure reason,
and it must be admitted that " no simplistic framework for
understanding can grasp the extraordinary difficulty of the moment when,
overnight, a libertarian-type revolution went from dream to reality. And
in the case of Spain, to a reality contrary to the dream, since this
revolution did not take the form of an assault against the old world,
but stemmed from a resistance imposed on a military coup against the
legitimacy of a 'republic of all classes'... [which] the anarchists knew
to be bourgeois. "
Freddy Gomez offers a critical inventory of the successes, but also the
failures, of this remarkable period of social construction, a time of
light and shadow, a chiaroscuro. His questions about the positioning of
libertarian elites are accompanied by considerations on the political
potential of the grassroots. He also explores the relationship between
theory and practice, the connection between ideas and reality, war
anarchism, and many other topics. This is a book to read, to peruse, in
order to try to understand this era and its contradictions.
Dominique Sureau (UCL Angers)
To validate
[ 1 ] Between 1936 and 1937, within the Republican government of the
Popular Front.
[ 2 ] Iberian Anarchist Federation, founded clandestinely in July 1927.
https://www.unioncommunistelibertaire.org/?Lire-Freddy-Gomez-Folies-d-Espagne-Ombres-et-lumieres-d-un-anarchisme-de-guerre
_________________________________________
A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C E
By, For, and About Anarchists
Send news reports to A-infos-en mailing list
A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
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