NOT the bulletin of the Kate Sharpley Library, No.7 July 2021
Russian Anarchists
Mark Mratchny
Malcolm Archibald of Black Cat Press has found a photo of Mark Mratchny (of the Nabat Confederation and stalwart of solidarity campaigns with anarchists imprisoned in the Soviet Union) in the Pierre Ramus papers at the IISH. [Update: This photo was found in the Pierre Ramus papers by Sergei Ovsiannikov, and then passed on to us by Malcolm Archibald.] See https://www.katesharpleylibrary.net/t4bbfr
Feldman
Abram Feldman was one of the anarchists deported by the Bolsheviks in 1922. We have put up a short biography of him by Voline (from 1923) and his questionnaire as printed in Letters from Russian Prisons (1925) https://www.katesharpleylibrary.net/tb2t9k
Emma Goldman on Peter A. Kropotkin
The original English typescript of Goldman’s obituary of Kropotkin has been discovered in Russia’s Presidential Library. More information at: https://www.katesharpleylibrary.net/qbznbn
Remembering Albert
The 7th of May 2021 was the 25th anniversary of Albert Meltzer’s death. We posted a couple of his articles and a link to a tribute written by Phil Ruff: ‘“Don’t forget me – or I’ll be back!” Those were Albert Meltzer’s final words to Stuart Christie, his closest friend and collaborator, in a letter which he left with his last will and testament. In a perverse way I wish I could forget Albert, so that he would come back. But not a day goes by without me thinking about him, so I know he will remain where he is, in the anarchist back-room saloon bar of Valhalla, telling outrageous stories and guffawing loudly at his own jokes, surrounded by his awkward squad of fallen angels, Billy Campbell, Stuart and Brenda Christie and Miguel Garcia.’ See https://www.katesharpleylibrary.net/6q58k6 and https://freedomnews.org.uk/2021/05/07/remembering-albert-meltzer-25-years-on/
Obituary
Hate is Not Enough – the passing of a class warrior
We have recently posted an obituary of Alan Pullin (1949-2021) of Bristol Class War by John Casey
‘With the increasing strategy of the ruling class and their stooges to atomise our communities and society into helpless and fatalistic individuals, Alan’s legacy to us is the importance of ideas, having a story of hope to tell, caring for each other and being involved in community work – these things are now more important than ever.’ https://www.katesharpleylibrary.net/7d7z20
Louise Michel
Thanks to Luc Nemeth (and Paul Sharkey) we can bring you Louise Michel’s First Article in Le Libertaire (November 1895) ‘When one has exhausted one’s resources and spent one’s last few pennies from the recent whip-round raised by comrades, covering the distance by rail is no longer an option, so one musters all one’s courage and off one goes, worn-out shoes on one’s feet, shabby clothing on, “on the tramp” …’ https://www.katesharpleylibrary.net/nvx2b5
Imanol’s list
A Roll-Call of Spanish Anarchists in the French Resistance and Escape Lines
‘We have always been told that anarchist involvement in the French resistance was very small. Today we are going to help dismantle that fiction.’ Read part one at: https://www.katesharpleylibrary.net/0vt5kt
Anarchist militants look at history
Makhno’s Opinion of Lenin and Leninism
‘For a start, and especially in the states making up the Union of Soviet Republics, there is a deafening and nonsensical clamour to the effect that: “Lenin is the guide of the workers in every land and he has constructed a theory for them and shown them the real path to liberating revolution.”’ https://www.katesharpleylibrary.net/ksn1s7
The Struggle Between Marxism and Anarchism in the Russian Revolution by Aleksandr Savelevich Levandovsky
‘Personally, my own opinion is that the anarchist movement in Russia was active, vigorous and full of high hopes, but lacked purpose. To be sure, it encountered huge difficulties in its efforts especially in the shape of the persecution that hindered its progress; but it must be admitted also that the anarchists themselves made huge mistakes.’ https://www.katesharpleylibrary.net/1zcswr
The Hungarian Communes (March 1919-March 1937) by Aldo Aguzzi
‘Is history repeating itself? No. History never repeats itself. It merely replicates comparable situations, raising the same issues and offering an old or new, mistaken or proper solution, depending on whether upcoming generations have or have not successfully learnt their lesson.’ https://www.katesharpleylibrary.net/tmpj2p
Lest the Spanish Revolution Finish Up Like the Russian by Nicholas Lazarevitch, Ida Mett and David Grigor’evich Polyakov
‘The lesson of the Russian experience will not be missed by the proletariat in Catalonia and Spain; it will achieve its emancipation through its own efforts; it will keep faith with the CNT; it will shun the flattering appeals emanating from the supporters of bureaucratic dictatorship, no matter what labels they may flaunt.’ https://www.katesharpleylibrary.net/bk3ks4
Updates & Publications
The Stuart Christie Memorial Archive: An update
The Stuart Christie Memorial Archive is based at London’s Mayday Rooms and online. Stuart’s film archive is going online at https://kolektiva.media/video-channels/stuartchristiearchive/videos
New Books
Copies of Insurrection: The Bloody Events of May 1937 in Barcelona by Agustín Guillamón are now available in the UK https://www.akuk.com/insurrection-the-bloody-events-of-may-1937-in-barcelona.html. Anarchism in North East England 1882-1992 (from our comrades at the Tyneside Anarchist Archive) will very soon be available from Active Distribution (500 pages for £9!). Photos at https://libcom.org/news/anarchism-north-east-england-1882-1992-23052021. Black Cat Press have just published Berkman’s Kronstadt Diary and Young Rebels Against the Empire: The Youth Memoirs of Nestor Makhno and Voldemar Antoni. Details via http://www.blackcatpress.ca/Form%20Price%20List%20May%202012pmd.htm
Edward Colston: two links
An analysis by Randell Brantley from The Bristol Radical History Group of the ‘The Colston Statue: What Next?’ exhibition at the M Shed of the (toppled) statue of Bristol slave-trader Edward Colston: https://www.brh.org.uk/site/2021/06/the-m-shed-colston-consultative-display-whats-in-and-whats-out/. An online fundraiser has been set up to help cover the legal costs (estimated at £12,000) of the four ‘topplers’ who have been singled out and charged with ‘Criminal damage’. You can read more and contribute at https://gofund.me/e49428cb
Sending you all our best wishes
Kate Sharpley Library collective (July 2021)