They arrived from Spain, exhausted and starving, those of the Retirada in February 1939. The border passes were bitterly cold; 450,000 people crossed the border fleeing the savagery of Franco's troops. They carried within them an ideal of fraternity, social justice, and dignity. Lux Publishers has released the memoirs of Maria Sesé Sarvisé, a Spanish exile. As I often write and say, testimonies of suffering and terror possess a power that theoretical works lack. These Spanish Republican refugees arrived in France with little or nothing materially, except their labor, their will to live, and their tenacity. Maria Sesé Sarvisé recounts the events she experienced in her village of Angüés in Aragon and on the roads of exile. It is a perspective from below, almost naive, that of the adolescent she was at the time. Why? "To instill in our children and grandchildren a love of reading and to teach them the example set by their ancestors who, with willpower, tenacity, and generosity, forged a society of solidarity and fraternity that the harsh realities of time cannot erase from our hearts."
Organizing Communities
In northern Aragon, the inhabitants, at the suggestion of the CNT (National Confederation of Labor), are organizing communities. Pooling land and means of production, fostering solidarity, and sharing produce. Always on a voluntary basis.
To better understand this period, a chapter is devoted to a synthesis of events: the Francoist threat, but also that of the communists and the bourgeoisie. Then Maria recounts life in her village, the awakening of a family. The participation of the CNT (National Confederation of Labor), the meetings, the presence of a library a kind of Athenaeum the arrests with the support and denunciations of the local bourgeoisie. The front is nearby, and the inhabitants of the surrounding villages find welcome and comfort. But they must leave; the Retirada is captured in a moving poem, "On the Road to Exile." They must flee the bombings and cross the border, ending up in Cerbère. Some women and children, starving, are evacuated by train via Toulouse, Bordeaux, Vannes, and then Belle-Île-en-Mer. The men remain on the beach at Argelès-sur-Mer, in the cold, the wind, the uncertainty, and the threat of death.
Settling in France
News from Angüés? In veiled terms, the residents who remained there make it clear that the repression continues even after the end of the conflict. Staying in France will be necessary. The family finds the father in Sainte-Valière in the Aude region. Let's discover the fate of the women "requested" to leave the "refuge" on Belle-Île.
Like so many families, they support each other; solidarity is not an empty word. They settle in France, unpack their suitcases, and take any work they can find. So many chance reunions! Glimpses of family photos that hold so many memories, suffering, joy, and hope. What a life!
* Maria Sesé Sarvisé
Memories of a Spanish Exile 1936-1975
Ed. Lux, 2026
https://monde-libertaire.net/?articlen=8908
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Source: A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
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