Beware! Anarchist! A life for freedom - Augustin Souchy

Augustin Souchy, left, on his 90th birthday
Augustin Souchy, left, on his 90th birthday

The incredible autobiography of an incredible man. Souchy fought in the Spanish Revolution; was a serious and knowledgeable student of Proudhon, Bakunin, Kropotkin, and Gustav Landauer; a consistent war-resister; a prolific pamphleteer; a major figure in the International Workers' Association (IWA); an anarcho-syndicalist determined to put theory into practice; one of the best informed specialists on the varieties of workers' control and self-management. These are memoirs par excellence, with a forward by Theo Waldinger, and an afterward by Sam Dolgoff.

Submitted by Anonymous on August 4, 2016

Attachments

souchy.pdf (9 MB)

Comments

syndicalist

8 years 4 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by syndicalist on August 5, 2016

Thanks for putting this up and making it available.

Read this book long time ago. As I recall, I was disappointed with it. I guess I was looking for particular details and so forth about global anarchosyndicalism/syndicalists. The book, in some ways, reminds me of the translation of Rocker's "London Years" (full book, no longer in print) . Of course informative and insightful in many ways, but not the sorta nitty gritty book one would hope for.

Souchy was a very interesting guy. I briefly met him in July 1976 at a 40th Spanish Revolution celebration in NYC. A comrade from another time and place, but sharp and informative. Sadly his mind was robbed in the years to come by Alzheimer's. And during that time period some unscrupulous people took advantage of him.

Again, thanks for putting this up. My curiosity is peeked to see if I missed some good kneels the first time I read it.

Entdinglichung

8 years 4 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Entdinglichung on August 5, 2016

one of the first radical books I read

syndicalist

8 years 4 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by syndicalist on August 5, 2016

^^^ in German? I'm wondering if that version is much different ( I have it in German also, but my reading level is that of a lower grade school kid)

Entdinglichung

8 years 4 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Entdinglichung on August 5, 2016

can't tell, never had a look yet at the English one

syndicalist

8 years 3 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by syndicalist on August 15, 2016

Took this book with me on short vacation.
A lot more interesting then on first read. At least the stuff up to the Spanish Revolltuin this far

altemark

8 years 3 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by altemark on August 16, 2016

Haven't read this, might give it a read.


Public meeting


Souchy visiting Hudiksvalls LS 1977


Souchy on his 90th birthday at Stensnäs Conference House


Souchy's Arbetaren Press card (1963)


Souchy on the soap box, sort of


Souchy imitating the strength of a united working class at the SAC 1979 conference

Steven.

8 years 3 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Steven. on August 16, 2016

Great photos thanks for posting

altemark

8 years 3 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by altemark on August 16, 2016

Die lange Hoffnung. Mit Clara Thalmann und Augustin Souchy. Erinnerungen an ein anderes Spanien. Film der Medienwerkstatt Freiburg, BRD 1984, 90 Min.
(German language)

https://vimeo.com/69677858
Augustin Souchy on his 90th birthday, in conversation with Anton Nilson ("The Amalthea Man", famous for being sentenced to death for the 1908 bomb attack against the scab ship Amalthea bringing British dockers to break a strike in Malmö)
(Swedish language)

Steven.

8 years 3 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Steven. on August 16, 2016

altemark

Augustin Souchy on his 90th birthday, in conversation with Anton Nilson ("The Amalthea Man", famous for being sentenced to death for the 1908 bomb attack against the scab ship Amalthea bringing British dockers to break a strike in Malmö)
(Swedish language)

Any good written info about this anywhere in English? Would be great to have something in our history section

altemark

8 years 3 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by altemark on August 16, 2016

Steven: Kattmannen did a quick translation of an article on the Amalthea bombing written by the editorial collective of Direkt Aktion for the 100th anniversary - https://libcom.org/forums/history/100-years-amalthea-18072008

Anton Nilson portraits: https://www.sac.se/index.php/cat/Om-SAC/Historik/Arkiv/Bildarkiv/Bilder-fr%C3%A5n-verksamheten/Personer/N/Nilson,-Anton

PDF of Issue 52 of DA (with Idol Poster of the 'Amalthea Men' in the middle)
https://web.archive.org/web/20100818191643/http://www.direktaktion.se/pdf/DA_nummer/DA_52.pdf

syndicalist

8 years 3 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by syndicalist on August 16, 2016

Excellent stuff