A-Infos (en) France, Monde Libertaire - IDEAS AND STRUGGLES: Memories of a Spanish Exile 1936-1975 (ca, de, fr, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

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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