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A unique portrait of a revolutionary movement that is largely unknown outside Spain. Northern Spain is the only part of Western Europe where anarchism played a significant role in the political life of the twentieth century. Enjoying wide-ranging support among both the urban and rural working class, its importance peaked during its "brief summer"--the civil war between the Republic and General Franco's Falangists, during which anarchists even participated in the government of Catalonia.
Anarchy's Brief Summer brings anarchism to life by focusing on the charismatic leader Buenaventura Durruti (1896-1936), who became a key figure in the Spanish Civil War after a militant and adventurous youth. The basis of the book is a compilation of texts: personal testimony, interviews with survivors, contemporary documents, memoirs, and academic assessments. They are all linked by Enzenberger's own assessment in a series of glosses--a literary form that is somewhere between retelling and reconstruction--with the contradiction between fiction and fact reflecting the political contradictions of the Spanish Revolution.
About the author
Hans Magnus Enzensberger, often considered Germany's most important living poet, is also the editor of the book series
Die Andere Bibliothek and the founder of the monthly
TransAtlantik. Seagull Books has published many of his books, including, most recently,
Tumult,
Panopticon, and
Anarchy's Brief Summer.
Summary
An account of the life and death of Buenaventura Durruti, a Spanish Civil War leader, that turns his life into a larger story of revolution, commitment, and failed struggles for freedom.
