Anarchy: an explanation for children

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 Until it was reprinted in 2020 by Los Libros del Zorro Rojo, the text had been unpublished in Spain since the Second Republic, although it had been published on a number of occasions in Latin America in the last 10 years.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

ALBUR PRODUCCIONES EDITORIALES

Title ANARCHY: AN EXPLANATION FOR CHILDREN LA ANARQUÍA EXPLICADA A LOS NIÑOS

Author José Ruiz Rodríguez | Fábrica de Estampas Year of publication 2020 Genre Children and Youth Number of editions 2 Pages 48 Language Spanish

ISBN 978-84-12079-05-0 Spanish retail price 13.90 €

Author’s biography: A schoolteacher and anarchist philanthropist, José Antonio Emmanuel was one of the pseudonyms of the educator José Ruiz Rodriguez. At the beginning of the 1930s, after the declaration of the Spanish Second Republic, he collaborated with the International Committee of Schools to promote rationalist educational centers. He helped create the National Anarchist Library in Spain, a publishing house responsible for the “International Library” collection of eleven books. They were works of ideological propaganda explaining concepts such as anarchy and the organization of the proletariat. The Fábrica de Estampas is an Argentine group of graphic artists and engravers created by Delfina Estrada and Victoria Volpini. They provide the illustrations, printing, and publication for limited series of prints and publications. They offer workshops on engraving for the purpose of promoting graphic design as a bridge between worlds and to help liberate works of art from limitations in diffusion.

https://fabricadeestampas.mitiendanube.com/ https://www.instagram.com/fabricadestampas/?hl=es

Synopsis: This edition brings back a valuable historical document that has not been published in Spain since the days of the Second Republic. Anarchy: An Explanation for Children was a brochure conceived for the purpose of pulling childhood from ignorance and freeing it from the dark power of the Catholic Church. This document, published in 1931 by the International Anarchist Library, was written by the educator José Antonio Emmanuel, who promoted, among other projects, schools for abandoned girls and boys. The work attempts to transmit a simple explanation of libertarian ideas, and how to bring them into practice, to an audience of the children of working-class families. This work, faithful to the original text, includes illustrations by the Fábrica de Estampas.

Publisher: Albur producciones editoriales S.L. The publishing house was created in Barcelona in 2003. We specialize in publishing illustrated books for children, young adults, and adults. We have become one of the leading publishing houses of illustrated books in the country, thanks to the quality of the books we produce

Publishing rights available from: Albur producciones editoriales - CIF B62811534 Llull 51 6º 4º, Barcelona www.librosdelzorrorojo.com Contact: Ana Lucía de Bastos [rights@librosdelzorrorojo.com] [assist@librosdelzorrorojo.com]

Phone: (+34) 933 076 850 Prizes and reviews: Finalist for the 2020 Kirico Prize in the category of Works in Castilian Spanish.