BOOK REVIEW ANARCHY: AN EXPLANATION FOR CHILDREN Author: José Ruiz Rodríguez | Colectivo Fábrica de Estampas From the reader report by: Sophie Hofnung La anarquía explicada a los niños is a reprint of a brochure published in 1931 in Barcelona. Until it was reprinted in 2020 by Los Libros del Zorro Rojo, the text had been unpublished in Spain since the Second Republic, although it had been published on a number of occasions in Latin America in the last 10 years. The text, written in large print, starts by presenting anarchy as a political doctrine that calls for universal love, solidarity and the end of man’s exploitation of man, which is facilitated by militarism, clericalism and capitalism. There then follows a series of 10 practical postulates: Help, Copy the beautiful, Work, Study, Love, Protect, Cultivate… Each of the postulates is accompanied by an etching. The illustrations, inspired from the original booklet, seek to transmit the beauty of this world we are trying to build and have been redrawn as traditional drawings with a very modern trichromatic finish. The repeating of the words of the postulate around a border also brings to mind the tradition and aesthetic of so-called “vintage” posters. Not only is the document of historical value – and not just in Spain – this book is a very attractive object with a particularly high standard of production and printing. It is still a vibrant appeal for education and an introduction to libertarian thinking – and as when first published, it continues to be just as suitable for children as for those who educate them.
PUBLISHED IN NEW SPANISH BOOKS FR
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