Alvah Bessie

Half a century ago, 2800 young Americans volunteered to defend a young Spanish democratic republic from Franco's generals and their German and Italian supporters. These volunteers were the men and women of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade. More than 800 were killed. They put their lives on the line in the heroic attempt to stop the growing fascist menace and second world war. Not only did they fight heroically; many of them also wrote brilliantly and movingly about what they saw and experienced. This anthology gathers together, for the first time, their own writings on the war —their journalist, poetry, stories, essays, and diaries. The editors, Brigade members Alvah Bessie and Albert Prago, present these accounts chronologically to dive a picture of the war as the Brigade members lived it: the decision to go, the journey —by ship, bus, train, and even on foot; the war itself; and the retreats. They write of battles, of imprisonment, of the death of friends, of moments of camaraderie, and of the warmth of the Spanish people. In a final section entitled "The War Goes On," they write of their continued commitment to the fight for democracy and against fascism, and to the struggle for peace— in Vietnam, in Nicaragua, and in the United States itself.

The Stories Chosen for This Year's Anthology