Writing the Female Revolutionary Self:Dolores Ib�rruri and the Spanish Civil War

Abstract

Arguably the most famous Spanish woman of the twentieth century, Dolores Ibarruri (1895-1989), also known as La Pasionaria, offers fascinating, as well as internationally recognized, example ofthe revo? lutionary woman and her self-representation. Well traveled, internationally known, Ibarruri inspired many writers and artists as literary and cultural figure. Described as a communist virgin, espanola mas insigne de nuestro siglo (Pamies 142), Spanish Joan of Are, a sort of Earth Mother of war (Mangini 39), as well as hidra comunista, Medusa, an aberrant, unspeakable person, she seems never to instill indifference. Marie Marmo Mullaney argues: Saluted by revolutionary comrades and feared by opponents, she came to embody better than anyone else the spirit ofthe left's crusade against fascism, and became in the process powerful rallying symbol for nascent Spanish communist movement sorely in need of one (Mullaney 8-9). Ibarruri's Civil War experience is framed by the struggles of earlier years and her fidelity to the cause ofthe Republic during her exile years, which suggest the protracted nature of myth-making for revolutionary women. The rich array of lifewriting by Spanish women involved in this struggle has, in recent years, become the object of serious study.1 Among the most prolific was Ibarruri, whose autobiography, Elunico camino (1962, They Shall Not Pass, 1966) and second volume, Memorias de Pasionaria, 1939-1977 (1984) were republished together in 1985 as Memorias de Dolores Ibarruri, Pasionaria: la luchay la vida. These volumes cover her life from birth through the 1970s, after her return to Spain from her 38-year exile.2 Ibarruri was prolific author. In addition to her autobiographical writing, she published numerous political tracts, speeches, histories, and other texts.