[machine translation]
Each year, as Christmas approaches, the shelves of bookstores garnish of "beautiful books"
bulky and expensive, the rich iconography is the essential argument. It is in this
category that ranks the world history of anarchy, co-published by Arte Editions and
Textual. France, Italy, Spain, Russia, USA, Argentina, Japan, Korea... it's an eclectic
ride but still well documented that we invite the historian Gaetano Manfredonia, with
sharp text and an array of beautiful photographs partly from his personal archives. ----
Who knows the work of Korean anarchism, from the armed struggle against Japanese
imperialism? In 1924, the Manifesto of the Korean revolution Shin Chae-Ho, which linked
national liberation and social transformation, signed his real birth certificate.
Anarchists then participated in extensive experience of peasant self-organization in
Manchuria, but soon had to fight on two fronts, against both the Chinese Stalinists
against the Japanese fascists.
Who remembers that there was a libertarian streak in the 1957-1959 Cuban guerrillas? A few
weeks after the fall of the dictator Batista, anarchists, however, denounced the takeover
of Fidel Castro and the authoritarian turn of the revolution. In 1960, for opposing
statist reforms in agriculture, they were persecuted by the new regime and last, the
majority take the path of exile. We will have an overview of these episodes, and many
others throughout the book whose cover, unfortunately devoid of originality, not a tribute
to content.
William Davranche (AL Montreuil)
For more information: www.anarchie-lelivre.com
Gaetano Manfredonia, World History of anarchy, Textuel / Arte Publishing, 2014, 288 pages,
45 euros.
