The BBC has an interesting discussion of the Chilean poet Pablo Neruda and his role in getting refugees out of Franco’s Spain:
In 1938, Neruda was a diplomat, representing Chile in Paris. He chartered a ship, the SS Winnipeg, to convey 2,000 Spanish Republicans to Chile. He was there on the quay, in a white hat, waving them off. And he wrote the poem Let Me Explain a Few Things in which he disowned his previous romantic and lyrical self and committed himself to exposing the world’s injustices. i
But it has been alleged that Neruda was a kind of reverse Schindler, with a list of people who were not going to get on the Winnipeg. As a diplomat, he had access to passports and it is said he made sure these went only to those of his particular left-wing Stalinist beliefs. According to Neruda’s critics, the anarchists and more moderate socialists were rejected and were therefore interned in France. Many were executed soon after when the Nazis moved in.
To listen to the discussion, click here.
December 15th, 2009 | 6:05 pm
Unsurprising, coming from this commited communist who penned the infamous “Ode to Stalin”. My rough translation follows:
“Stalinists. We carry this name with pride.
Stalinists. This is the hierarchy of our time.
In her final years the dove,
Peace, the errant hunted rose, alighted on his shoulders
and Stalin, the giant, lifted her up to his forehead.
That is how distant peoples saw peace”.
December 15th, 2009 | 6:25 pm
Spain was infinitely luckier to have Gen. Franco in charge than they would have been with any of Neruda’s pals, that’s for certain. Similarly for Chile and Pinochet, of course.
December 16th, 2009 | 12:25 pm
My understanding is that the Winnipeg was chartered out by the Spanish Republican gov’t, Quakers, and Neruda’s own pocket and I suppose the criticism of the philanthropic deed rests on two premises:
1) The Winnipeg was not a large enough ship
2) Neruda did not warn Republican refugees in
France, in 1937, of the looming Nazi
occupation.
The list of passengers was decided chiefly by the Service for the Evacuation of Spanish Refugees established by Spanish PM Juan Negrin and a few hundred selected by Neruda.
Many were children.
Whatever the employed criterion there is little doubt as to the fate awaiting these people had Neruda not conceived of this evacuation. The gravamen of his efforts was the affirmative act in convincing the gov’t of Chile to accept the refugees.
Outside of this largely symbolic effort and France erecting refugee camps the world stood passive and then ignored the subsequent savage retribution inflicted by Franco.
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