by Emma Goldman
Taken from The Russian Tragedy (A Review and An Outlook) (Berlin: Der Syndikalist, 1922).
To write a biographic sketch of even an ordinary man within the limited space at my disposal would be difficult. But to write about one whose personality is so complex and whose life so replete with events as that of Alexander Berkman, is almost an insurmountable task. To do justice to such a rich and colorful subject one must not be so limited by space as I am. Above all, one should be removed, in point of time and distance, from the life to be portrayed. Which is not the case in the present instance.
I shall therefore not attempt a biography at the present time. I shall merely joint down a few outstanding features in the life and activities of our Comrade, which may serve as an introduction to something bigger yet to be written. Perhaps it may lead the reader to acquaint himself with Alexander Berkman’s own story, the “Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist”, which portrays the various phases of his life and his ideal much more forcefully and intimately than any biographer could do. Continue reading A Sketch of Alexander Berkman→
There was a time when men imagined the Earth as the center of the universe. The stars, large and small, they believed were created merely for their delectation. It was their vain conception that a supreme being, weary of solitude, had manufactured a giant toy and put them into possession of it.
When, however, the human mind was illumined by the torch-light of science, it came to understand that the Earth was but one of a myriad of stars floating in infinite space, a mere speck of dust.
Es absolutamente necesario que nos demos cuenta de esto, porque la gente que no deja escapar la noción de que su desventura se debe a la debilidad de sus compañeros, nunca puede superar el odio y la maldad mezquina que constantemente culpa, condena y acosa a aquellos por algo que es inevitable, como parte de sí mismos. Esa gente no llegará a las alturas de una verdadera humanidad al que el bien y el mal, la moral y la inmoralidad, no son sino términos limitados a las emociones humanas en el mar de la vida.
Es absolutamente necesario que nos demos cuenta de esto, porque la gente que no deja escapar la noción de que su desventura se debe a la debilidad de sus compañeros, nunca puede superar el odio y la maldad mezquina que constantemente culpa, condena y acosa a aquellos por algo que es inevitable, como parte de sí mismos. Esa gente no llegará a las alturas de una verdadera humanidad al que el bien y el mal, la moral y la inmoralidad, no son sino términos limitados a las emociones humanas en el mar de la vida.
La palabra anarquía suena mal a la mayor parte de las personas porque se la presentan como sinónimo de maldad, relajamiento, caos. Estiman que los anarquistas son una banda de viles facinerosos que desconocen el uso del peine i del jabón; resueltos a matar a los ricos para repartirse su capital. Sin embargo, la anarquía es para sus adeptos una teoría social que procura obtener el orden con ausencia de todo gobierno del hombre por el hombre; significa en una palabra, completa libertad individual.
Durruti, whom I saw but a month ago, lost his life in the street-battles of Madrid.
My previous knowledge of this stormy petrel of the Anarchist and revolutionary movement in Spain was merely from reading about him. On my arrival in Barcelona I learned many fascinating stories of Durruti and his column. They made me eager to go to the Aragon front, where he was the leading spirit of the brave and valiant militias, fighting against fascism. Continue reading Durruti is Dead, Yet Living (en/fr)→
A short introduction to the life and ideas of Emma Goldman
by Bernard Dubbeld
12 pages – English
Original publication date: Unknown (circa 2000)
A condensed but concise and straightforward introduction to the extraordinary life and work one of the foundational writers and activists in anarchism.
preaching organization without practicing it. On the other hand, one can come across much more effective authoritarianism in those groups who noisily proclaim the “absolute freedom of the individual”, than in those that are commonly considered authoritarian because they have a bureau and take decisions.
St. Tropez July 12th, 1936
It is only two weeks since our beloved comrade Alexander Berkman passed away. Yet it seems an eternity to me. The blow his untimely death has struck me has left me completely shattered. I find it difficult to collect my thoughts. But I feel sure you will want to know all about Sasha’s end. For have you not loved him all through the years? Continue reading Alexander Berkman’s Last Days→
