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Red Rosa: A Graphic Biography of Rosa Luxemburg
Rosa tells the life story of philosopher, economist, publisher, writer, organizer, political leader and martyr Rosa Luxemburg in full-color, graphic form. The story follows Rosa from her family life in Jewish Poland—where she became the leader of a general strike at age fifteen and was exiled from her homeland at eighteen—to her immersion into the then largest radical party in the world, the German Social Democratic Party, to her founding of the German Communist Party and leadership of the German revolution of 1919.
This beautifully drawn graphic life gives “Red Rosa” her due as an iconic radical, but also portrays a fascinating woman with a rich love life, struggles with physical disability and an abiding love of literature and theater. Rosa will contribute to the growing understanding of one of the twentieth century’s greatest revolutionaries.
This beautifully drawn graphic life gives “Red Rosa” her due as an iconic radical, but also portrays a fascinating woman with a rich love life, struggles with physical disability and an abiding love of literature and theater. Rosa will contribute to the growing understanding of one of the twentieth century’s greatest revolutionaries.
220 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 494 reviews
March 6, 2021
I didn't know anything about Rosa Luxemburg before picking this up and so it was pretty cool learning more about her life. I totally want to read more about her ideas and thoughts in the future. Not a huge fan of the art style though, and I think that's quite a large part of reading a graphic novel. Also the rhythm/transition of things wasn't that great and just didn't work for me. This one's a 3.5 stars for me.
April 19, 2021
"The capitalist state of society is doubtless a historic necessity, but so also is the revolt of the working class against it – the revolt of its gravediggers"--Rosa Luxemburg, April 1915
Rosa Luxemburg, 1871-1919, was an economist who wrote her doctoral dissertation on Polish industrialization. She was a Marxist theorist, a philosopher, and a revolutionary socialist of Polish-Jewish descent. She became a German citizen and was murdered there by opponents of the revolution she never gave up on. She was a woman of passion, having written many emotional and insightful essays, letters, tracts, and there were also many lovers in her short and full 47 years. She was a member of the Communist Party who troubled Lenin and Trotsky and the Russian Revolution with serious critique. She was one wild woman who made politics and economic justice come alive as possibility.
It was Emma Goldman who said "A revolution without dancing is not a revolution worth having," but Red Rosa might just as well have said it.
Kate Evens is author and artist extraordinaire in this work of love for Verso Press. She is herself a wonderful writer with obvious political commitments--it's a work maybe best described as a fictionalized biography, since she has to make up dialogue and imagine some interactions, but the work is based on copious research and comes complete with many pages of notes and a bibliography. As seriously political as this comics biography is, there is also in it much poetry and poetic imagery, of which the cover of the volume is one dramatic example. Evens's revolutionary writing also dances, as Emma and Rosa would observe and approve. It has to be one of the most ambitious and very best graphic works in the last year. On my best of the year list, for sure.
I highly recommend it to lefties everywhere who maybe once knew her work (she has 14 volumes of collected work, of which The Accumulation of Capital is one volume) and feel they need a refresher course (as I did), or those who have heard her name and need an introduction. Feeling the Bern? Rosa was one of the great intellectuals of socialism/communism/Marxism a century ago. Solidarity forever!
Kurt Weill:
Red Rosa now has vanished too.
She told the poor what life is about,
And so the rich have rubbed her out.
May she rest in peace.
Rosa Luxemburg, 1871-1919, was an economist who wrote her doctoral dissertation on Polish industrialization. She was a Marxist theorist, a philosopher, and a revolutionary socialist of Polish-Jewish descent. She became a German citizen and was murdered there by opponents of the revolution she never gave up on. She was a woman of passion, having written many emotional and insightful essays, letters, tracts, and there were also many lovers in her short and full 47 years. She was a member of the Communist Party who troubled Lenin and Trotsky and the Russian Revolution with serious critique. She was one wild woman who made politics and economic justice come alive as possibility.
It was Emma Goldman who said "A revolution without dancing is not a revolution worth having," but Red Rosa might just as well have said it.
Kate Evens is author and artist extraordinaire in this work of love for Verso Press. She is herself a wonderful writer with obvious political commitments--it's a work maybe best described as a fictionalized biography, since she has to make up dialogue and imagine some interactions, but the work is based on copious research and comes complete with many pages of notes and a bibliography. As seriously political as this comics biography is, there is also in it much poetry and poetic imagery, of which the cover of the volume is one dramatic example. Evens's revolutionary writing also dances, as Emma and Rosa would observe and approve. It has to be one of the most ambitious and very best graphic works in the last year. On my best of the year list, for sure.
I highly recommend it to lefties everywhere who maybe once knew her work (she has 14 volumes of collected work, of which The Accumulation of Capital is one volume) and feel they need a refresher course (as I did), or those who have heard her name and need an introduction. Feeling the Bern? Rosa was one of the great intellectuals of socialism/communism/Marxism a century ago. Solidarity forever!
Kurt Weill:
Red Rosa now has vanished too.
She told the poor what life is about,
And so the rich have rubbed her out.
May she rest in peace.
February 23, 2019
It was hard getting through this book, especially during the second half. There was just too much text on nearly every page which I think is never good for a graphic novel. The text was too dense and the information too detailed.
Rosa Luxemburg was an interesting woman and the author obviously did tons of research but I became bored by this excess of information. In the end, I felt like I was reading a textbook and the art, which consisted mainly of talking heads, got lost in this overload of text.
I’d recommend to read a proper, well-written biography instead.
Rosa Luxemburg was an interesting woman and the author obviously did tons of research but I became bored by this excess of information. In the end, I felt like I was reading a textbook and the art, which consisted mainly of talking heads, got lost in this overload of text.
I’d recommend to read a proper, well-written biography instead.
December 2, 2020
It is said that the socialist flag is red in colour not just because of its links of communism, but also because it's a celebration of the blood of all the martyrs who lost their lives for its cause. Rosa Luxemburg was one such brave, badass martyr. She was Polish, Jewish, an economist, a philosopher, a socialist revolutionary, a political refugee and disabled. Most of these things should have kept her within the margins of the society at the time, but Rosa always strode onwards and upwards.
This is a marvelous little book, the illustrations are splendid and Kate Evans has put in great efforts to do justice to the various aspects of Rosa Luxemburg's life. What I found to be particularly brilliant was the way in which Evans wrote and drew about complex economic and political theories that Luxemburg developed. Luxemburg was specifically interested in solving the problem of capitalist expansion and was among the first (along with Lenin) to link capitalistic growth and imperialism and she did it several decades before the word 'globalization' was even coined.
Accounts of Rosa Luxemburg's life generally focus too much on her political theories while hardly talking about her personal life, but Evans here has wonderfully, aesthetically portrayed Luxemburg's love life and erotic interests. There's so much attention to details, that this book is certainly NSFW. If you think you can educate your children about Luxemburg's life and ideas through this book, boy, have I got bad news for you.
Luxemburg lived in a deeply patriarchal society but she always rebelled against it, and this is an important aspect that's depicted throughout the book. Luxemburg was also a wonderful human, amazing writer and a cat mother. The illustrations of her cat in this book will leave you smiling with adoration.
I finished this book more than a week ago, but had to collect my thoughts to write this review because I was heartbroken over Luxemburg's execution. If you are into graphic novels, I cannot recommend this enough.
image:
image:
Here's a link to an excerpt from the book in which Rosa Luxemberg explains capitalism using spoons.
This is a marvelous little book, the illustrations are splendid and Kate Evans has put in great efforts to do justice to the various aspects of Rosa Luxemburg's life. What I found to be particularly brilliant was the way in which Evans wrote and drew about complex economic and political theories that Luxemburg developed. Luxemburg was specifically interested in solving the problem of capitalist expansion and was among the first (along with Lenin) to link capitalistic growth and imperialism and she did it several decades before the word 'globalization' was even coined.
Accounts of Rosa Luxemburg's life generally focus too much on her political theories while hardly talking about her personal life, but Evans here has wonderfully, aesthetically portrayed Luxemburg's love life and erotic interests. There's so much attention to details, that this book is certainly NSFW. If you think you can educate your children about Luxemburg's life and ideas through this book, boy, have I got bad news for you.
Luxemburg lived in a deeply patriarchal society but she always rebelled against it, and this is an important aspect that's depicted throughout the book. Luxemburg was also a wonderful human, amazing writer and a cat mother. The illustrations of her cat in this book will leave you smiling with adoration.
I finished this book more than a week ago, but had to collect my thoughts to write this review because I was heartbroken over Luxemburg's execution. If you are into graphic novels, I cannot recommend this enough.
image:
image:
Here's a link to an excerpt from the book in which Rosa Luxemberg explains capitalism using spoons.
June 13, 2021
"With every fly that one carelessly swats and crushes, the entire world comes to and end. In the refracting eye of a little fly it is the same as if the end of the world had destroyed all life."
I think that the story of Rosa Luxemburg is criminally unknown. Sure, people interested in history and in socialism know her name, but when one thinks of socialist revolution, the names of Marx, Lenin and Trotsky are usually the ones that come to people's mind. Her life and her work is not part of so-called common knowledge. I truly hope books like this one change that, because the story of this tiny yet monumental woman is both very important and incredibly inspiring.
Kate Evans did a wonderful job of putting Dr. Luxemburg's life on the page, perhaps more in a introductory way than one might wish, but nevertheless, this gorgeous graphic biography is the perfect way to get to know Rosa Luxemburg.
Born in Poland in 1871, little Rosa had a lot of odds stacked against her: she was a girl, she was Jewish and one of her legs was significantly shorter than the other, leaving her with a permanent limp and obligation to wear thick soled shoes her entire life. But Rosa had a very strong will and mind, and she never let anything stand in her way. She read constantly, to feed her intellect, but she also couldn't help but notice the class discrepancy she saw in her school and in the streets of Warsaw. At 15, she joined the socialist movement and eventually moved to Zurich, where she was allowed not only to attend university, but also earned a doctorate. She relocated again, this time to Berlin, where she continued her work to bring about a revolution that would make a better world not just for the workers, but for everyone. She was jailed more than once for speaking against the monarchy and other powers in place, other members of the socialist organizations with which she worked tried to push her around, but she never gave up the purity of her principles: equality and peace for all. Even when holding on to her integrity led to her death...
I want all little girls to hear about Rosa - little boys too, so they never underestimate girls who are smaller than them. And I want grown ups to know about her as well, so that we can all remember than the actions of one tiny person can sometimes move the needle of history and not underestimate the power of our voice and actions.
Beautiful.
I think that the story of Rosa Luxemburg is criminally unknown. Sure, people interested in history and in socialism know her name, but when one thinks of socialist revolution, the names of Marx, Lenin and Trotsky are usually the ones that come to people's mind. Her life and her work is not part of so-called common knowledge. I truly hope books like this one change that, because the story of this tiny yet monumental woman is both very important and incredibly inspiring.
Kate Evans did a wonderful job of putting Dr. Luxemburg's life on the page, perhaps more in a introductory way than one might wish, but nevertheless, this gorgeous graphic biography is the perfect way to get to know Rosa Luxemburg.
Born in Poland in 1871, little Rosa had a lot of odds stacked against her: she was a girl, she was Jewish and one of her legs was significantly shorter than the other, leaving her with a permanent limp and obligation to wear thick soled shoes her entire life. But Rosa had a very strong will and mind, and she never let anything stand in her way. She read constantly, to feed her intellect, but she also couldn't help but notice the class discrepancy she saw in her school and in the streets of Warsaw. At 15, she joined the socialist movement and eventually moved to Zurich, where she was allowed not only to attend university, but also earned a doctorate. She relocated again, this time to Berlin, where she continued her work to bring about a revolution that would make a better world not just for the workers, but for everyone. She was jailed more than once for speaking against the monarchy and other powers in place, other members of the socialist organizations with which she worked tried to push her around, but she never gave up the purity of her principles: equality and peace for all. Even when holding on to her integrity led to her death...
I want all little girls to hear about Rosa - little boys too, so they never underestimate girls who are smaller than them. And I want grown ups to know about her as well, so that we can all remember than the actions of one tiny person can sometimes move the needle of history and not underestimate the power of our voice and actions.
Beautiful.
January 7, 2021
Rosa Luxemburg was a young, poor Jewish girl in Poland who rose to become a titan of leftist thought. As a girl, Luxemburg refused to accept her "place" in life, always questioning injustice and falling into the local socialist society. She was an intellectual powerhouse.
But Luxemburg didn't just sit in her room all day, theorizing and writing utopian critiques of capitalism. No, she did. She wasn't allowed to go to university in Poland, so she moved to Zurich, earning a doctorate in economics. She fell in love with Leo Jogiches, the son of a capitalist who was dedicated to destroying the system that made him rich. She refused to constrain her sexuality or her desires, beginning and ending relationships when she was unhappy. She spread her message with an incredible fire, swaying beefy German factory workers with her simple, yet persuasive arguments. She outargued the intellectual titans of the German Social Democratic Party, raging against the abandonment of revolution in favor of reformism. She rampaged through central Europe, tirelessly spreading her message of liberation for decades. And somewhere in the middle, she wrote a treatise on the political economy, The Accumulation of Capital, that has only become more popular with age.
She spoke out against the foolishness of the First World War, lambasting the socialist-in-name-only deputies that voted for the "inevitable" war. Their decision dumbfounded Rosa. How could socialists, committed to the international liberation of the working classes, declare nationalist war, pitting national working class against national working class? She left the party she had dedicated her life to with disgust.
In 1918, after the war destroyed Europe and millions of innocent working class men died because upper class warmongers incinerated their souls to fuel their war industry, Germany erupted into revolution. Rosa refused to play it safe, and she started a newspaper, Die Rote Fahne, and fought constantly to sway public opinion towards revolution. After the new "social democratic" president was placed in power by the defeated German military, her former party turned on her. She was brutally murdered by militiamen, her corpse thrown into the Landwehr Canal in Berlin.
Kate Evans' phenomenal graphic autobiography introduces Rosa Luxemburg – the woman, the revolutionary, and her works – to a new generation, one that participated in the 2011 world uprising and which will suffer from precarious employment for life. Evans' work is an experience, both emotional and arresting, beautiful and terrifying. She portrays the raw, the real Rosa. She was by no means perfect, but young people deserve to know Rosa's story.
Phenomenal, riveting, inspirational, revolutionary Rosa Luxemburg. Highly recommended.
But Luxemburg didn't just sit in her room all day, theorizing and writing utopian critiques of capitalism. No, she did. She wasn't allowed to go to university in Poland, so she moved to Zurich, earning a doctorate in economics. She fell in love with Leo Jogiches, the son of a capitalist who was dedicated to destroying the system that made him rich. She refused to constrain her sexuality or her desires, beginning and ending relationships when she was unhappy. She spread her message with an incredible fire, swaying beefy German factory workers with her simple, yet persuasive arguments. She outargued the intellectual titans of the German Social Democratic Party, raging against the abandonment of revolution in favor of reformism. She rampaged through central Europe, tirelessly spreading her message of liberation for decades. And somewhere in the middle, she wrote a treatise on the political economy, The Accumulation of Capital, that has only become more popular with age.
She spoke out against the foolishness of the First World War, lambasting the socialist-in-name-only deputies that voted for the "inevitable" war. Their decision dumbfounded Rosa. How could socialists, committed to the international liberation of the working classes, declare nationalist war, pitting national working class against national working class? She left the party she had dedicated her life to with disgust.
In 1918, after the war destroyed Europe and millions of innocent working class men died because upper class warmongers incinerated their souls to fuel their war industry, Germany erupted into revolution. Rosa refused to play it safe, and she started a newspaper, Die Rote Fahne, and fought constantly to sway public opinion towards revolution. After the new "social democratic" president was placed in power by the defeated German military, her former party turned on her. She was brutally murdered by militiamen, her corpse thrown into the Landwehr Canal in Berlin.
Kate Evans' phenomenal graphic autobiography introduces Rosa Luxemburg – the woman, the revolutionary, and her works – to a new generation, one that participated in the 2011 world uprising and which will suffer from precarious employment for life. Evans' work is an experience, both emotional and arresting, beautiful and terrifying. She portrays the raw, the real Rosa. She was by no means perfect, but young people deserve to know Rosa's story.
Phenomenal, riveting, inspirational, revolutionary Rosa Luxemburg. Highly recommended.
December 23, 2018
This is a fairly introductionary graphic novel biography of Rosa Luxemburg. I didn't know much about her love life before reading this, but those parts were the ones I found the least well-done actually. There's other ways to describe a love life than through the same sex scenes each time.
Apart from that, some of the wording was a bit strange. It felt like a book for children at times, because the other seemed to want to sum up Rosa Luxemburg's economic and political theories for newbies, it seemed. I'm not sure if she managed to do that well and I also wonder how many people will read this book who don't already know the basic ideas of marxism and socialism. If I didn't, I'd probably found those part confusing.
My last criticism would be that the art is not 100 % my style. I think if I'd been sold on the drawings completely, this would have been a 5 star book despite the other flaws I mentioned. As it stands it's a fairly well-drawn and interesting overview of her life.
I appreciate that at the end of the book there's an explanation of things the author changed for narrative reasons and some contextualisation for some of the scenes.
Apart from that, some of the wording was a bit strange. It felt like a book for children at times, because the other seemed to want to sum up Rosa Luxemburg's economic and political theories for newbies, it seemed. I'm not sure if she managed to do that well and I also wonder how many people will read this book who don't already know the basic ideas of marxism and socialism. If I didn't, I'd probably found those part confusing.
My last criticism would be that the art is not 100 % my style. I think if I'd been sold on the drawings completely, this would have been a 5 star book despite the other flaws I mentioned. As it stands it's a fairly well-drawn and interesting overview of her life.
I appreciate that at the end of the book there's an explanation of things the author changed for narrative reasons and some contextualisation for some of the scenes.
January 2, 2021
First book of the year, and what a fantastic read it was.
July 16, 2021
Now while I have certainly found Kate Evans' graphic novel Red Rosa: A Graphic Biography of Rosa Luxemburg for the most part very enlightening and also historically, culturally interesting (if not even totally significant, as especially with regard to English language reading materials, there are in my opinion still far too few accessible to and for interested lay readers books available on the history of Socialism and Communism in Europe and on important and necessary to be familiar with activists such as Rosa Luxemburg), I also think that for a graphic novel Red Rosa: A Graphic Biography of Rosa Luxemburg actually tends to be a trifle too wordy and often almost annoyingly textbook like in scope and feel. But that having been said and yes, because I am indeed quite massively interested in the topic and in Rosa Luxemburg as a person, I was still and always engaged enough with Red Rosa: A Graphic Biography of Rosa Luxemburg to continue reading until the end, even though I do certainly and strongly believe that Kate Evans' featured text is truly a bit physically and emotionally exhausting to peruse at times, and yes, also with too small a letter font for my ageing eyes, not to mention that I also do think that the artwork for Red Rosa: A Graphic Biography of Rosa Luxemburg is much too caricature like for my aesthetic tastes (and with in particular most human figures, including Rosa Luxemburg herself, generally appearing as being depicted by Kate Evans in an uncomfortably exaggerated manner).
And indeed, I would also say that Red Rosa: A Graphic Biography of Rosa Luxemburg is definitely NOT a book for younger children (and has probably been geared primarily towards adults). However, Kate Evans' text as well as her accompanying comic book like illustrations are in my opinion and certainly still more than suitable for interested and engaged teenaged readers above the age of thirteen or so (and perhaps even above the age of twelve), although I do have to leave the necessary caveat that from where I am standing, Red Rosa: A Graphic Biography of Rosa Luxemburg is also pretty thoroughly pro-Socialism and Communism (even though also not really overly extremist or radical), even if Red Rosa: A Graphic Biography of Rosa Luxemburg does definitely feature a very good and informative general introduction to Rosa Luxemburg, to her life, to her achievements, to how she was callously and brutally murdered (but also showing and demonstrating how Rosa Luxemburg was one of the very few left wingers always staunchly opposed to WWI and that she, that Rosa Luxemburg also relentlessly strived and fought for women's education and basic gender equality, basic human rights for ALL, including women).
Finally, I certainly and also do wish that when we were studying political systems as well as WWI and WWII in grade 12 social studies (in the early 1980s), there had been a book such as Kate Evans' Red Rosa: A Graphic Biography of Rosa Luxemburg available for our teacher to use in class with us. For Red Rosa: A Graphic Biography of Rosa Luxemburg definitely does give a much more engaging, interesting and also a much easier to understand portrait of Rosa Luxemburg than the rather bone dry and generally tediously boring textbook we were using in class, where, and even though the portrait of Rosa Luxemburg was actually and thankfully politically balanced (neither too positive nor too negative), both Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht were basically still just dealt with in a few short and unimaginative, not very detailed sentences.
And indeed, I would also say that Red Rosa: A Graphic Biography of Rosa Luxemburg is definitely NOT a book for younger children (and has probably been geared primarily towards adults). However, Kate Evans' text as well as her accompanying comic book like illustrations are in my opinion and certainly still more than suitable for interested and engaged teenaged readers above the age of thirteen or so (and perhaps even above the age of twelve), although I do have to leave the necessary caveat that from where I am standing, Red Rosa: A Graphic Biography of Rosa Luxemburg is also pretty thoroughly pro-Socialism and Communism (even though also not really overly extremist or radical), even if Red Rosa: A Graphic Biography of Rosa Luxemburg does definitely feature a very good and informative general introduction to Rosa Luxemburg, to her life, to her achievements, to how she was callously and brutally murdered (but also showing and demonstrating how Rosa Luxemburg was one of the very few left wingers always staunchly opposed to WWI and that she, that Rosa Luxemburg also relentlessly strived and fought for women's education and basic gender equality, basic human rights for ALL, including women).
Finally, I certainly and also do wish that when we were studying political systems as well as WWI and WWII in grade 12 social studies (in the early 1980s), there had been a book such as Kate Evans' Red Rosa: A Graphic Biography of Rosa Luxemburg available for our teacher to use in class with us. For Red Rosa: A Graphic Biography of Rosa Luxemburg definitely does give a much more engaging, interesting and also a much easier to understand portrait of Rosa Luxemburg than the rather bone dry and generally tediously boring textbook we were using in class, where, and even though the portrait of Rosa Luxemburg was actually and thankfully politically balanced (neither too positive nor too negative), both Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht were basically still just dealt with in a few short and unimaginative, not very detailed sentences.
October 3, 2015
A charming biography with some lovely artwork. It takes awhile to get going, and feels slightly imbalanced (occasional narratorial intrusions or jumps in time are not unpleasant but they do seem somewhat arbitrarily scattered), but when at its peak, it is quite touching and beautifully conveys a sense of Luxemburg's personality. I especially loved the various nude scenes, hairy legs and all -- a really excellent example of how graphic novels can portray a woman's body in a way that feels intimate without being objectifying or prurient.
It might not be the most effective introduction to Luxemburg's work -- it's a little hard to get a grasp on her ideas, or more specifically, what her particular innovations or disagreements with others were. But the book offers plenty of quotes from her writings and certainly gives you a good sense of her overall beliefs. Her life story proceeds in a fairly typical step-by-step fashion: Evans clearly has no compunctions about zooming past the less eventful bits. But there isn't much in the way of intellectual biography here: you don't really see where her ideas are coming from, or how her life experiences influence them. Although there is a nice moment where Evans steps in to say that she will depart from the convention of defining women's lives through their relationships to men, this doesn't seem like a radically new form of biography.
Overall though, a very pleasant, and often quite beautiful (in various ways) book.
It might not be the most effective introduction to Luxemburg's work -- it's a little hard to get a grasp on her ideas, or more specifically, what her particular innovations or disagreements with others were. But the book offers plenty of quotes from her writings and certainly gives you a good sense of her overall beliefs. Her life story proceeds in a fairly typical step-by-step fashion: Evans clearly has no compunctions about zooming past the less eventful bits. But there isn't much in the way of intellectual biography here: you don't really see where her ideas are coming from, or how her life experiences influence them. Although there is a nice moment where Evans steps in to say that she will depart from the convention of defining women's lives through their relationships to men, this doesn't seem like a radically new form of biography.
Overall though, a very pleasant, and often quite beautiful (in various ways) book.
January 1, 2021
My first read of the year, and it was terrific. Super-interesting graphic biography of Rosa Luxemburg, a remarkable woman whom I knew of, but not enough. She left Poland for university in Switzerland because women could attend there, and earned a doctorate in economics, before becoming a leading figure on the left in Germany - opposing the First World War when the Social Democrats on the whole did not. The author identifies some of Luxemburg’s theories as especially prescient, particularly around the relationship between empire and capitalism. She had a very eventful life driven by her convictions, her powerful intellect, and her passions - quite something. It’s a wordy graphic biography, but that appealed to me, and was backed by thorough notes and a bibliography.
March 8, 2021
Schreibe diese Rezension am feministischen Kampftag, der von Rosa Luxemburgs Freundin Clara Zetkin ins Leben gerufen wurde. Happy feministischer Kampftag!
Dieser graphic novel ist momentan ganz dicht dran mein liebstes Buch bisher für 2021 zu sein.
Lieb's sehr, wenn Bücher mir etwas beibringen, was ich in der Schule nie gelernt oder verstanden habe. Hier war es zum Beispiel, warum das vor dem 1. WK alle so gestört hat, dass "der eine Typ" da erschossen wird, wieso Rosa Luxemburg sterben musste und was Marx mit "Das Kapital" sagen wollte.
Außerdem versteht sich Kate Evans aufs Metaphern zeichnen: Mimi, die Katze taucht als gefräßiger Tiger wieder auf, um die Fänge des "Tiger Kapitalismus" zu verdeutlichen. Und das Cover: Der Krieg auf der Pazifistin Rosa - need I say more?
Die Autorin schreibt sich selbst auch mit Kommentaren ein - das fand ich sehr schön, dass sie sich ab und an wertend eingeschaltet hat, um zu erwähnen, was und was schwierig umzusetzen sei im Sozialismus. Im Anhang finden sich auch zu vielen Seiten Anmerkungen und Ergänzungen.
Der kritische Leser weiß also, dass das hier nicht fiktionalisierte Lobhudelei ist, sondern ein gut recherchiertes Buch, um eine Heldin des Sozialismus zu ehren.
Dieser graphic novel ist momentan ganz dicht dran mein liebstes Buch bisher für 2021 zu sein.
Lieb's sehr, wenn Bücher mir etwas beibringen, was ich in der Schule nie gelernt oder verstanden habe. Hier war es zum Beispiel, warum das vor dem 1. WK alle so gestört hat, dass "der eine Typ" da erschossen wird, wieso Rosa Luxemburg sterben musste und was Marx mit "Das Kapital" sagen wollte.
Außerdem versteht sich Kate Evans aufs Metaphern zeichnen: Mimi, die Katze taucht als gefräßiger Tiger wieder auf, um die Fänge des "Tiger Kapitalismus" zu verdeutlichen. Und das Cover: Der Krieg auf der Pazifistin Rosa - need I say more?
Die Autorin schreibt sich selbst auch mit Kommentaren ein - das fand ich sehr schön, dass sie sich ab und an wertend eingeschaltet hat, um zu erwähnen, was und was schwierig umzusetzen sei im Sozialismus. Im Anhang finden sich auch zu vielen Seiten Anmerkungen und Ergänzungen.
Der kritische Leser weiß also, dass das hier nicht fiktionalisierte Lobhudelei ist, sondern ein gut recherchiertes Buch, um eine Heldin des Sozialismus zu ehren.
November 12, 2022
Κείμενο στο Smassing Culture
Η ζωή της φλογισμένης επαναστάτριας
Η ζωή της Ρόζας Λούξεμπουργκ ήταν αφιερωμένη στο λαό και στον στόχο της επανάστασης. Η νεαρή διδάκτωρ Δημοσίου Δικαίου και Οικονομικών, με τη λεπτοκαμωμένη μορφή και την ελαφρά δυσκολία στο βάδισμα (λόγω της δυσπλασίας του ισχύου της), όταν ανέβαινε στο βήμα έβγαζε λόγους παθιασμένους και πειστικούς, που συνέπαιρναν τα πλήθη και δημιουργούσαν τριγμούς στην ομαλότητα που επιδίωκε η εξουσία αλλά και οι (ανδροκρατούμενες) σοσιαλδημοκρατικές ηγεσίες της εποχής της. Υμνήθηκε για την αφοσίωσή της στην επαναστατική σκέψη και δράση, αλλά και δαιμονοποιήθηκε από τους επαΐοντες του «ορθόδοξου» μαρξισμού που δυσφορούσαν με τον αντισυμβατικό τρόπο σκέψης της. Η δολοφονία η δική της και του Καρλ Λίμπκνεχτ αποτέλεσαν καμπή στην ιστορία των επαναστατικών κινημάτων του 20ου αιώνα.
Την πολιτική πορεία αλλά και την προσωπική ζωή της Ρόζας Λούξεμπουργκ στοχεύει να αφηγηθεί η Kate Evans στο βιογραφικό comic Κόκκινη Ρόζα, με την πολύτιμη συνεισφορά στην επιμέλεια του -έμπειρου στο είδος- Paul Buhle. Η πρωτότυπη έκδοση κυκλοφόρησε στα αγγλικά απ’ τις ριζοσπαστικές εκδόσεις Verso με την σύμπραξη του Ιδρύματος Ρόζα Λούξεμπουργκ. Πριν λίγους μήνες μεταφράστηκε στα ελληνικά και κυκλοφόρησε σε έναν πολυτελή σκληρόδετο τόμο από τις εκδόσεις Πατάκη, σε επιμέλεια Κώστα Γιαννόπουλου.
Με αφετηρία την παιδική ζωή της Ρόζας στην Πολωνία και τα πρώτα της βήματα στο σοσιαλιστικό κίνημα και στη μαρξιστική σκέψη, το comic διατρέχει τους σημαντικότερους σταθμούς της ζωής μίας απ’ τις μεγαλύτερες προσωπικότητες του επαναστατικού μαρξισμού. Οι αναγνώστες και οι αναγνώστριες που γνώριζαν ήδη τη Ρόζα μέσα από τα έργα της ή γενικότερα από την ιστορία της μαρξιστικής σκέψης και του σοσιαλιστικού – κομμουνιστικού κινήματος, θα ανακαλύψουν στιγμιότυπα της καθημερινότητας της φλογερής επαναστάτριας μέσα στις σελίδες του comic∙ τις φιλίες, τους έρωτες, τους αγώνες της για την ισότητα των φύλων, για την αβασίλευτη δημοκρατία, για την επανάσταση, την περίοδο της φυλάκισής της και τα τρυφερά της γράμματα προς τους οικείους της, την ακούραστη συνεισφορά της στην μαρξιστική θεωρία και στην καθημερινή κομματική αρθρογραφία. Η Kate Evans έχει εύστοχα σημειώσει ότι στο comic της αναδημιουργεί τη Ρόζα Λούξεμπουργκ ως έναν μυθοπλαστικό χαρακτήρα, βασισμένο σε αληθινά γεγονότα. Δεν επιχειρεί να την αγιοποιήσει, ούτε και θέλει να την ωραιοποιήσει. Αντιθέτως, παρουσιάζει μία καθημερινή γυναίκα, της οποίας η ομορφιά πηγάζει από τον πλούσιο εσωτερικό της κόσμο, από την γλυκύτητα του χαρακτήρα της κι από τη θαρραλέα της καθημερινή δράση κι όχι από εκείνες τις αναλογίες που θεωρούνται ιδανικές από τα κυρίαρχα πρότυπα ομορφιάς. Αυτή είναι μία συνειδητή επιλογή της Evans, η οποία προσδοκά να δημιουργήσει έναν γυναικείο χαρακτήρα οικείο στις γυναίκες αναγνώστριες, στις οποίες απευθύνεται προνομιακά το comic της.
Παράλληλα, το comic αφηγείται ένα σημαντικό κομμάτι της ιστορίας του μαρξιστικού κινήματος των αρχών του 20ου αιώνα, το οποίο κατέληξε στη διάσπαση του σοσιαλδημοκρατικού κόμματος (μετά την υποστήριξη των βουλευτών του στον πολεμικό προϋπολογισμό), στην πολιτικά φιλόδοξη (αλλά ηττημένη) εξέγερση των Σπαρτακιστών του 1917-1918, η οποία καταπνίγηκε στο αίμα από την κυβέρνηση του σοσιαλδημοκράτη Φρίντριχ Έμπερτ και τελικά στη δολοφονία της Ρόζας Λούξεμπουργκ και του Καρλ Λίμπκνεχτ. Σε αυτή τη διαδρομή, η Evans ξετυλίγει την πλούσια δραστηριότητα της Ρόζας, γεμάτη τόσο με πολιτικές της πράξεις, όσο και με θεωρητικές της αναζητήσεις, οι οποίες διακρίνονται για το βάθος και την αντισυμβατικότητα της σκέψης της. Δεν απουσιάζουν από την εξιστόρηση οι θεωρητικές της διαμάχες που έχουν μείνει στην ιστορία, όπως η πολεμική της στον μεταρρυθμισμό του Μπέρνσταιν ή η κριτική της στην λενινιστική τακτική των πρώτων βημάτων της Οκτωβριανής Επανάστασης. Όπως δεν απουσιάζουν οι αναφορές στο πλούσιο θεωρητικό της έργο (σημαντικό μέρος του οποίου καταστράφηκε μετά τη δολοφονία της), αλλά και στην ακούραστη καθημερινή της ενασχόληση με τις κομματικές προπαγανδι��τικές εφημερίδες, που είχαν σημαντική απήχηση και διείσδυση στο γερμανικό λαό.
Το σενάριο της Kate Evans επιτυγχάνει την τέλεια ισορροπία στη διήγηση της προσωπικής και της πολιτικής ζωής της Ρόζας. Ένα συχνό ελάττωμα των comic βιογραφιών που αφορούν πολιτικά πρόσωπα είναι η έλλειψη αυτής της ισορροπίας, είτε για πολιτικο-ιδεολογικούς λόγους (με εστίαση στο πολιτικό κομμάτι), είτε με στόχο τον μετριασμό του πολιτικού μηνύματος, την αποϊδεολογικοποιημένη πρόσληψη του προσώπου (με την επιμονή στην προσωπική του ζωή). Αντιθέτως, η Kate Evans βρήκε τη χρυσή τομή, συστήνοντας στους αναγνώστες και στις αναγνώστριες του comic μία φλογερή επαναστατική μορφή, αλλά και μία τρυφερή προσωπικότητα, μία γυναίκα αφοσιωμένη στον αγώνα και παράλληλα έτοιμη να απολαύσει τις χαρές του έρωτα και της φιλίας, κόντρα στη σεμνοτυφία και στα στερεότυπα της εποχής της για τις γυναίκες. Αντλώντας ιστορικά στοιχεία απ’ τα (διασωθέντα) γραπτά της Ρόζας Λούξεμπουργκ και από πλούσιο ιστορικό και φωτογραφικό υλικό της εποχής, η Evans αναπλάθει τη ζωή της Ρόζας με τη μέθοδο της «μυθοπλαστικής περιγραφής αληθινών γεγονότων», όπως την έχει χαρακτηρίσει η ίδια. Εκεί αναδεικνύεται η σημαντική συμβολή του επιμελητή Paul Buhle, ο οποίος, πέρα από το ενδιαφέρον επίμετρό του, προσέφερε δημιουργικά και ερευνητικά στο τελικό αποτέλεσμα, το οποίο βρίθει σημειώσεων γεμάτων χρήσιμες πληροφορίες, ενώ συνοδεύεται και από συνοπτικό βιβλιογραφικό παράρτημα.
Το ασπρόμαυρο σχέδιο της Kate Evans είναι εξίσου προσεγμένο, παρόλο που συνήθως οι δημιουργοί των βιογραφικών comics παρασέρνονται από το ρεαλισμό της ιστορίας, αποδίδοντας συμβατικά σχέδια. Βασισμένη κυρίως σε φωτογραφικό υλικό της εποχής, η σκιτσογράφος έχει επιτύχει μία ρεαλιστική απεικόνιση της εποχής, όμως, όποτε της δίνεται η δυνατότητα, επιδεικνύει τη φαντασία της και τις αρετές της πένας της, με σχέδια περισσότερο αφαιρετικά και ατμοσφαιρικά, όπως το δισέλιδο που κοσμεί και το εξώφυλλο του έργου. Στη ροή της ιστορίας, ιδιαίτερη προσοχή αποδίδει στις εκφράσεις των προσώπων και στις διάφορες αναπαραστάσεις της Ρόζας (με πικάντικη λεπτομέρεια την αντισυμβατικά αποδοσμένη ομορφιά των γυμνών σκηνών της), ενώ εξαιρετικά ενδιαφέρουσες είναι και ορισμένες γελοιογραφικού χαρακτήρα σκηνές, όπως μία σκηνή με έναν στρατιώτη των Freikorps που γρονθοκοπεί τη Ρόζα και στον τοίχο η σκιά του σχηματίζει μία σβάστικα.
Στις τελευταίες σελίδες του comic, λίγο πριν τη δολοφονία της, η Ρόζα μοιάζει να κοιτά παρηγορητικά τον αναγνώστη/-τρια λέγοντας: «έχω μάθει από την ιστορία να μην υπερεκτιμώ την επιρροή μίας και μοναδικής προσωπικότητας». Πρόκειται για ένα ελαφρώς παραλλαγμένο απόφθεγμα που άντλησε η δημιουργός από τα γράμματα της φυλακής της Ρόζας, που μαρτυρά την ταπεινότητα με την οποία εκείνη αντίκριζε τον κόσμο, στην αλλαγή του οποίου είχε αφιερώσει τη ζωή και το έργο της. Εκείνη η γυναίκα, παρά τα επιστημονικά και πολιτικά επιτεύγματά της, τα οποία έμοιαζαν ακατόρθωτα σε μία περίοδο που οι γυναίκες δεν είχαν ακόμα ούτε το δικαίωμα της ψήφου, παρόλο που έγινε το σύμβολο της επανάστασης των Σπαρτακιστών και ο βασικός στόχος για φυσική εξόντωση της κυβέρνησης του προδοτικού σοσιαλδημοκρατικού κόμματος, ακόμα κι όταν στερούνταν την ελευθερία της κλεισμένη στη φυλακή για τις πολιτικές της απόψεις σε καιρό πολέμου, συνέχιζε να αντιμετωπίζει τη δράση της μόνον ως ένα κομμάτι μίας ριζοσπαστικής κοινωνικής αλλαγής, την οποία προσδοκούσε και για την οποία αγωνιζόταν. Αλλά τελικά, όταν «χάθηκε κι αυτή» και παρόλο που κανείς δεν ήξερε «πού το κορμί της παραχώσαν», η Κόκκινη Ρόζα μετατράπηκε σε ένα παντοτινό επαναστατικό σύμβολο, επειδή «έλεγε πάντα την αλήθεια στους φτωχούς» και επειδή γι’ αυτό «οι πλούσιοι την σκοτώσαν».
Η ζωή της φλογισμένης επαναστάτριας
Η ζωή της Ρόζας Λούξεμπουργκ ήταν αφιερωμένη στο λαό και στον στόχο της επανάστασης. Η νεαρή διδάκτωρ Δημοσίου Δικαίου και Οικονομικών, με τη λεπτοκαμωμένη μορφή και την ελαφρά δυσκολία στο βάδισμα (λόγω της δυσπλασίας του ισχύου της), όταν ανέβαινε στο βήμα έβγαζε λόγους παθιασμένους και πειστικούς, που συνέπαιρναν τα πλήθη και δημιουργούσαν τριγμούς στην ομαλότητα που επιδίωκε η εξουσία αλλά και οι (ανδροκρατούμενες) σοσιαλδημοκρατικές ηγεσίες της εποχής της. Υμνήθηκε για την αφοσίωσή της στην επαναστατική σκέψη και δράση, αλλά και δαιμονοποιήθηκε από τους επαΐοντες του «ορθόδοξου» μαρξισμού που δυσφορούσαν με τον αντισυμβατικό τρόπο σκέψης της. Η δολοφονία η δική της και του Καρλ Λίμπκνεχτ αποτέλεσαν καμπή στην ιστορία των επαναστατικών κινημάτων του 20ου αιώνα.
Την πολιτική πορεία αλλά και την προσωπική ζωή της Ρόζας Λούξεμπουργκ στοχεύει να αφηγηθεί η Kate Evans στο βιογραφικό comic Κόκκινη Ρόζα, με την πολύτιμη συνεισφορά στην επιμέλεια του -έμπειρου στο είδος- Paul Buhle. Η πρωτότυπη έκδοση κυκλοφόρησε στα αγγλικά απ’ τις ριζοσπαστικές εκδόσεις Verso με την σύμπραξη του Ιδρύματος Ρόζα Λούξεμπουργκ. Πριν λίγους μήνες μεταφράστηκε στα ελληνικά και κυκλοφόρησε σε έναν πολυτελή σκληρόδετο τόμο από τις εκδόσεις Πατάκη, σε επιμέλεια Κώστα Γιαννόπουλου.
Με αφετηρία την παιδική ζωή της Ρόζας στην Πολωνία και τα πρώτα της βήματα στο σοσιαλιστικό κίνημα και στη μαρξιστική σκέψη, το comic διατρέχει τους σημαντικότερους σταθμούς της ζωής μίας απ’ τις μεγαλύτερες προσωπικότητες του επαναστατικού μαρξισμού. Οι αναγνώστες και οι αναγνώστριες που γνώριζαν ήδη τη Ρόζα μέσα από τα έργα της ή γενικότερα από την ιστορία της μαρξιστικής σκέψης και του σοσιαλιστικού – κομμουνιστικού κινήματος, θα ανακαλύψουν στιγμιότυπα της καθημερινότητας της φλογερής επαναστάτριας μέσα στις σελίδες του comic∙ τις φιλίες, τους έρωτες, τους αγώνες της για την ισότητα των φύλων, για την αβασίλευτη δημοκρατία, για την επανάσταση, την περίοδο της φυλάκισής της και τα τρυφερά της γράμματα προς τους οικείους της, την ακούραστη συνεισφορά της στην μαρξιστική θεωρία και στην καθημερινή κομματική αρθρογραφία. Η Kate Evans έχει εύστοχα σημειώσει ότι στο comic της αναδημιουργεί τη Ρόζα Λούξεμπουργκ ως έναν μυθοπλαστικό χαρακτήρα, βασισμένο σε αληθινά γεγονότα. Δεν επιχειρεί να την αγιοποιήσει, ούτε και θέλει να την ωραιοποιήσει. Αντιθέτως, παρουσιάζει μία καθημερινή γυναίκα, της οποίας η ομορφιά πηγάζει από τον πλούσιο εσωτερικό της κόσμο, από την γλυκύτητα του χαρακτήρα της κι από τη θαρραλέα της καθημερινή δράση κι όχι από εκείνες τις αναλογίες που θεωρούνται ιδανικές από τα κυρίαρχα πρότυπα ομορφιάς. Αυτή είναι μία συνειδητή επιλογή της Evans, η οποία προσδοκά να δημιουργήσει έναν γυναικείο χαρακτήρα οικείο στις γυναίκες αναγνώστριες, στις οποίες απευθύνεται προνομιακά το comic της.
Παράλληλα, το comic αφηγείται ένα σημαντικό κομμάτι της ιστορίας του μαρξιστικού κινήματος των αρχών του 20ου αιώνα, το οποίο κατέληξε στη διάσπαση του σοσιαλδημοκρατικού κόμματος (μετά την υποστήριξη των βουλευτών του στον πολεμικό προϋπολογισμό), στην πολιτικά φιλόδοξη (αλλά ηττημένη) εξέγερση των Σπαρτακιστών του 1917-1918, η οποία καταπνίγηκε στο αίμα από την κυβέρνηση του σοσιαλδημοκράτη Φρίντριχ Έμπερτ και τελικά στη δολοφονία της Ρόζας Λούξεμπουργκ και του Καρλ Λίμπκνεχτ. Σε αυτή τη διαδρομή, η Evans ξετυλίγει την πλούσια δραστηριότητα της Ρόζας, γεμάτη τόσο με πολιτικές της πράξεις, όσο και με θεωρητικές της αναζητήσεις, οι οποίες διακρίνονται για το βάθος και την αντισυμβατικότητα της σκέψης της. Δεν απουσιάζουν από την εξιστόρηση οι θεωρητικές της διαμάχες που έχουν μείνει στην ιστορία, όπως η πολεμική της στον μεταρρυθμισμό του Μπέρνσταιν ή η κριτική της στην λενινιστική τακτική των πρώτων βημάτων της Οκτωβριανής Επανάστασης. Όπως δεν απουσιάζουν οι αναφορές στο πλούσιο θεωρητικό της έργο (σημαντικό μέρος του οποίου καταστράφηκε μετά τη δολοφονία της), αλλά και στην ακούραστη καθημερινή της ενασχόληση με τις κομματικές προπαγανδι��τικές εφημερίδες, που είχαν σημαντική απήχηση και διείσδυση στο γερμανικό λαό.
Το σενάριο της Kate Evans επιτυγχάνει την τέλεια ισορροπία στη διήγηση της προσωπικής και της πολιτικής ζωής της Ρόζας. Ένα συχνό ελάττωμα των comic βιογραφιών που αφορούν πολιτικά πρόσωπα είναι η έλλειψη αυτής της ισορροπίας, είτε για πολιτικο-ιδεολογικούς λόγους (με εστίαση στο πολιτικό κομμάτι), είτε με στόχο τον μετριασμό του πολιτικού μηνύματος, την αποϊδεολογικοποιημένη πρόσληψη του προσώπου (με την επιμονή στην προσωπική του ζωή). Αντιθέτως, η Kate Evans βρήκε τη χρυσή τομή, συστήνοντας στους αναγνώστες και στις αναγνώστριες του comic μία φλογερή επαναστατική μορφή, αλλά και μία τρυφερή προσωπικότητα, μία γυναίκα αφοσιωμένη στον αγώνα και παράλληλα έτοιμη να απολαύσει τις χαρές του έρωτα και της φιλίας, κόντρα στη σεμνοτυφία και στα στερεότυπα της εποχής της για τις γυναίκες. Αντλώντας ιστορικά στοιχεία απ’ τα (διασωθέντα) γραπτά της Ρόζας Λούξεμπουργκ και από πλούσιο ιστορικό και φωτογραφικό υλικό της εποχής, η Evans αναπλάθει τη ζωή της Ρόζας με τη μέθοδο της «μυθοπλαστικής περιγραφής αληθινών γεγονότων», όπως την έχει χαρακτηρίσει η ίδια. Εκεί αναδεικνύεται η σημαντική συμβολή του επιμελητή Paul Buhle, ο οποίος, πέρα από το ενδιαφέρον επίμετρό του, προσέφερε δημιουργικά και ερευνητικά στο τελικό αποτέλεσμα, το οποίο βρίθει σημειώσεων γεμάτων χρήσιμες πληροφορίες, ενώ συνοδεύεται και από συνοπτικό βιβλιογραφικό παράρτημα.
Το ασπρόμαυρο σχέδιο της Kate Evans είναι εξίσου προσεγμένο, παρόλο που συνήθως οι δημιουργοί των βιογραφικών comics παρασέρνονται από το ρεαλισμό της ιστορίας, αποδίδοντας συμβατικά σχέδια. Βασισμένη κυρίως σε φωτογραφικό υλικό της εποχής, η σκιτσογράφος έχει επιτύχει μία ρεαλιστική απεικόνιση της εποχής, όμως, όποτε της δίνεται η δυνατότητα, επιδεικνύει τη φαντασία της και τις αρετές της πένας της, με σχέδια περισσότερο αφαιρετικά και ατμοσφαιρικά, όπως το δισέλιδο που κοσμεί και το εξώφυλλο του έργου. Στη ροή της ιστορίας, ιδιαίτερη προσοχή αποδίδει στις εκφράσεις των προσώπων και στις διάφορες αναπαραστάσεις της Ρόζας (με πικάντικη λεπτομέρεια την αντισυμβατικά αποδοσμένη ομορφιά των γυμνών σκηνών της), ενώ εξαιρετικά ενδιαφέρουσες είναι και ορισμένες γελοιογραφικού χαρακτήρα σκηνές, όπως μία σκηνή με έναν στρατιώτη των Freikorps που γρονθοκοπεί τη Ρόζα και στον τοίχο η σκιά του σχηματίζει μία σβάστικα.
Στις τελευταίες σελίδες του comic, λίγο πριν τη δολοφονία της, η Ρόζα μοιάζει να κοιτά παρηγορητικά τον αναγνώστη/-τρια λέγοντας: «έχω μάθει από την ιστορία να μην υπερεκτιμώ την επιρροή μίας και μοναδικής προσωπικότητας». Πρόκειται για ένα ελαφρώς παραλλαγμένο απόφθεγμα που άντλησε η δημιουργός από τα γράμματα της φυλακής της Ρόζας, που μαρτυρά την ταπεινότητα με την οποία εκείνη αντίκριζε τον κόσμο, στην αλλαγή του οποίου είχε αφιερώσει τη ζωή και το έργο της. Εκείνη η γυναίκα, παρά τα επιστημονικά και πολιτικά επιτεύγματά της, τα οποία έμοιαζαν ακατόρθωτα σε μία περίοδο που οι γυναίκες δεν είχαν ακόμα ούτε το δικαίωμα της ψήφου, παρόλο που έγινε το σύμβολο της επανάστασης των Σπαρτακιστών και ο βασικός στόχος για φυσική εξόντωση της κυβέρνησης του προδοτικού σοσιαλδημοκρατικού κόμματος, ακόμα κι όταν στερούνταν την ελευθερία της κλεισμένη στη φυλακή για τις πολιτικές της απόψεις σε καιρό πολέμου, συνέχιζε να αντιμετωπίζει τη δράση της μόνον ως ένα κομμάτι μίας ριζοσπαστικής κοινωνικής αλλαγής, την οποία προσδοκούσε και για την οποία αγωνιζόταν. Αλλά τελικά, όταν «χάθηκε κι αυτή» και παρόλο που κανείς δεν ήξερε «πού το κορμί της παραχώσαν», η Κόκκινη Ρόζα μετατράπηκε σε ένα παντοτινό επαναστατικό σύμβολο, επειδή «έλεγε πάντα την αλήθεια στους φτωχούς» και επειδή γι’ αυτό «οι πλούσιοι την σκοτώσαν».
October 2, 2019
This is the "graphic biography" of a person of deep political conviction and passion, living through one of the most turbulent periods in history, and treats its subject with respect, depth and gravity. So it was with some surprise that I found Evans deftly weaving humour and romance into her story. Rosa emerges as a fully rounded person, her faults and inconsistencies shown alongside her humanity and fortitude.
Evans packs in a lot of information, both into the main work and into the notes, which to me is a great strength of the book: I read this because I want to know! The depiction of Rosa's assassination, and the brutal curtailing of her life and work, moved me to tears. Unequivocally 5🌟
Evans packs in a lot of information, both into the main work and into the notes, which to me is a great strength of the book: I read this because I want to know! The depiction of Rosa's assassination, and the brutal curtailing of her life and work, moved me to tears. Unequivocally 5🌟
March 23, 2024
Really loved this graphic novel about my birthday twin Rosa Luxemburg. There was everything! Politics! People talking about politics while naked! Revolution! A lot of Berlin atmosphere. I just think Rosa was radically cool, and I whole-heartedly recommend this. Writing this review a year after finishing the graphic novel and I still remember strongly a lot of moments.
November 11, 2015
Yes and no for this effort. Yes for the biographical detail, no for the Marxism 101 lessons. Yes for the airbrush-and-ink landscapes and buildings, no for the scratchy, ugly characterisations that sit in those. Yes for the way real quotes are highlighted ready for the student, no for the way the narrative voice becomes equally as polemical, and breaks into inventing a non-existent 'us'. Yes for the gloss of the narator's font, no for the again scratchy and ungainly speech bubble design. There's a gloss to some of this, and a lot of intelligence in the design and writing, which will imbue it with qualities those few remaining non-graphic novel readers will accept, but I did get left with the impression that much like its subject it wanted things it couldn't have, and broke from its basic tenet in order to get them.
February 26, 2016
Αν ισχύει η άποψη του Μαρξ ότι "η Ιστορία δεν δρα,δεν κατέχει τεράστια πλούτη,δεν δίνει μάχες.Αυτός που κάνει τα πάντα,που κατέχει και μάχεται,είναι ο άνθρωπος με σάρκα και οστά" τότε ναι,η Λούξεμπουργκ μπορεί να εκφράσει απόλυτα τα παραπάνω.
Δεν είχα μελετήσει τίποτα δικό της,γνώριζα την ύπαρξη της μέσω της Ιστορίας και των Σπαρτακιστών.
Αυτό το graphic novel όμως,που δεν είναι καθόλου εύκολο στην ανάγνωσή του,καθώς αναφέρει όλους τους Όρους και τις Ιδέες της,με βοήθησε με ευχάριστο τρόπο να μπω στον κόσμο της και να εντυπωσιαστώ από τη ζωή της.
Εξαιρετική δουλειά,όχι μόνο σε επίπεδο σκίτσων,αλλά και μελέτης της εποχής,της προσωπικότητας και της ιδεολογίας της Λούξεμπουργκ!
Εύχομαι να το δούμε σύντομα και στα ελληνικά...
Δεν είχα μελετήσει τίποτα δικό της,γνώριζα την ύπαρξη της μέσω της Ιστορίας και των Σπαρτακιστών.
Αυτό το graphic novel όμως,που δεν είναι καθόλου εύκολο στην ανάγνωσή του,καθώς αναφέρει όλους τους Όρους και τις Ιδέες της,με βοήθησε με ευχάριστο τρόπο να μπω στον κόσμο της και να εντυπωσιαστώ από τη ζωή της.
Εξαιρετική δουλειά,όχι μόνο σε επίπεδο σκίτσων,αλλά και μελέτης της εποχής,της προσωπικότητας και της ιδεολογίας της Λούξεμπουργκ!
Εύχομαι να το δούμε σύντομα και στα ελληνικά...
May 20, 2016
An engaging and moving biography of an incredible woman, and a nice intro to Marxist thought.
August 15, 2015
Received from Netgalley for an honest review
I don’t really read a lot of historical fiction or historical non-fiction books about the World Wars anymore. But what lead me into reading this graphic novel was the cover. Long hair with a trail of tanks and soldiers marching and exploding, almost forming some sort of loose braid, there is a style like this but I can’t name it, I will put a link to a picture here. I wondered what was this was about and who is Rosa Luxemburg.
She was a charismatic and brilliant woman who wanted to dismantle the system of capitalism that oppressed her people and other minorities, during the early 1900s, when World War I and World War II would bring about a destruction that would take her with it. She led the German Revolution and was part of a Communist party. She was a communist leader that set her foot out in an arena that would soon persecute her for her Jewish background.
I will admit that I still didn’t understand the whole concept of socialism, so I guess I should pick up that Karl Marx book if I ever get interested in it for whatever reason. But the whole graphic novel was built around her teaching and conceptions of capitalism, how it controls the universe, and how it brings about poverty and societal restrictions due to the poverty. The funny thing is that socialism and capitalism have their pros and cons, despite that one might sound better than the other, there’s always some sort of oppressive con that will make people change their minds. Like, for example, look at China. I don’t really like to talk about this because I don’t know much, I only know from articles and blog posts written by Chinese people who live there and know better than someone like me and most Americans. A lot of the Western media’s protrayel of China is kind of influenced by Yellow Peril and the racist idea of “All communist countries are opressed desert wastelands that must be saved by me White saviour.” No I’m not denying that these things happen, a lot of screwed up things happen there, it’s a communist, imperialist country, much like us, except we’re not communist. But China is a perfect example of communism gone wrong. Which is why I say that there is a pro and a con to communism and it shouldn’t be romanticized.
It’s a saddening how after Rosa Luxemburg died, the communism that she was trying to build turned out to be something worse, as the people who took over became dictators and inflicted just as much harm than the government before them. But her influence has lived on, her outspoken actions and feisty attitude definitely lives on in many of today’s feminist activists. Yes, I actually consider her a feminist figure since what she had done was rare for a woman at that time, especially since Jewish people were constantly in hiding from persecution.
I wasn’t a fan of the artwork I will admit, some of it was beautiful in its accurately bleak and sort of scratched in look, I don’t know how to explain art, but anything looks better than Attack on Titan. The flow of the story was a little odd sometimes, the way the scenes ended and then changed were a bit abrupt to me. But the writing was engaging, the tale of her life, switching from her political side to her dysfunctional love life, was utilized in a way to portray a political figure in their highest and lowest. Rosa’s writings were also melded into the text to form two narratives, the personal and the outer. I recommend this as a light read for those who like to read World War I and II non-fictions.
Rating: 3.5/5
Entire post at Notes on the shore
I don’t really read a lot of historical fiction or historical non-fiction books about the World Wars anymore. But what lead me into reading this graphic novel was the cover. Long hair with a trail of tanks and soldiers marching and exploding, almost forming some sort of loose braid, there is a style like this but I can’t name it, I will put a link to a picture here. I wondered what was this was about and who is Rosa Luxemburg.
She was a charismatic and brilliant woman who wanted to dismantle the system of capitalism that oppressed her people and other minorities, during the early 1900s, when World War I and World War II would bring about a destruction that would take her with it. She led the German Revolution and was part of a Communist party. She was a communist leader that set her foot out in an arena that would soon persecute her for her Jewish background.
I will admit that I still didn’t understand the whole concept of socialism, so I guess I should pick up that Karl Marx book if I ever get interested in it for whatever reason. But the whole graphic novel was built around her teaching and conceptions of capitalism, how it controls the universe, and how it brings about poverty and societal restrictions due to the poverty. The funny thing is that socialism and capitalism have their pros and cons, despite that one might sound better than the other, there’s always some sort of oppressive con that will make people change their minds. Like, for example, look at China. I don’t really like to talk about this because I don’t know much, I only know from articles and blog posts written by Chinese people who live there and know better than someone like me and most Americans. A lot of the Western media’s protrayel of China is kind of influenced by Yellow Peril and the racist idea of “All communist countries are opressed desert wastelands that must be saved by me White saviour.” No I’m not denying that these things happen, a lot of screwed up things happen there, it’s a communist, imperialist country, much like us, except we’re not communist. But China is a perfect example of communism gone wrong. Which is why I say that there is a pro and a con to communism and it shouldn’t be romanticized.
It’s a saddening how after Rosa Luxemburg died, the communism that she was trying to build turned out to be something worse, as the people who took over became dictators and inflicted just as much harm than the government before them. But her influence has lived on, her outspoken actions and feisty attitude definitely lives on in many of today’s feminist activists. Yes, I actually consider her a feminist figure since what she had done was rare for a woman at that time, especially since Jewish people were constantly in hiding from persecution.
I wasn’t a fan of the artwork I will admit, some of it was beautiful in its accurately bleak and sort of scratched in look, I don’t know how to explain art, but anything looks better than Attack on Titan. The flow of the story was a little odd sometimes, the way the scenes ended and then changed were a bit abrupt to me. But the writing was engaging, the tale of her life, switching from her political side to her dysfunctional love life, was utilized in a way to portray a political figure in their highest and lowest. Rosa’s writings were also melded into the text to form two narratives, the personal and the outer. I recommend this as a light read for those who like to read World War I and II non-fictions.
Rating: 3.5/5
Entire post at Notes on the shore
January 18, 2016
It took me ages to read this. Red Rosa isn't the worst comic out there and as a biography it surely is interesting - the problem is that the format and structure of the comic is hideous. There's no rhythm whatsoever and the transitions don't work at all. The structure of the panels is heavy and there's basically too much text in the panels. The panels are stuffed and never ever use so many different fonts! The hand written texts are hard to read and unsteady. They look smudgy and cheap. The font doesn't fit with the basic fonts (like Times New Roman) that feel detached as a comparison. It's really hard to grasp Rosa's life as nothing is explained and it wasn't the best decision to just recite Rosa's writings. There's no need to write everything just the way she did, just telling it with less words would've made wonders. Also, the comic is mostly talking heads, which is quite boring.
The artwork is tenuous at best. The heads are out of proportion and the line work is smudgy. The digital coloring doesn't fit and looks cheap - black and white is OK, but the lack of tones makes the comic look half made. Basically Evans isn't good enough to pull this through. The comic lacks in every aspect and the only good thing is the cover. I didn't really get a picture of Rosa or what she did, and I think most people will think the same. The topic is interesting and we do need more comics about strong women, especially those that have actually existed. The structure would need a lot of work as well as the art not to forget the fonts. In a way this isn't so bad, but for the fact that it messes all the things that make it a comic, I'll only give one star.
The artwork is tenuous at best. The heads are out of proportion and the line work is smudgy. The digital coloring doesn't fit and looks cheap - black and white is OK, but the lack of tones makes the comic look half made. Basically Evans isn't good enough to pull this through. The comic lacks in every aspect and the only good thing is the cover. I didn't really get a picture of Rosa or what she did, and I think most people will think the same. The topic is interesting and we do need more comics about strong women, especially those that have actually existed. The structure would need a lot of work as well as the art not to forget the fonts. In a way this isn't so bad, but for the fact that it messes all the things that make it a comic, I'll only give one star.
June 10, 2018
Excelente biografia em quadrinhos de uma das mais bem sucedidas mentes do comunismo no século XX, a forma que concatena as ideias e passagens da vida de Rosa Luxemburgo é interessantíssima e embora o traço muitas vezes não se equipare à construção geral das ideias alimentadas pelo quadrinho, quando o faz como nessa belíssima imagem da capa, o faz certeiramente.
Para além da vida da pensadora, temos um posfácio que delimita as injustiças e influências que sofreu e promoveu, como o fato de Luxemburgo ter sido relegada ao ostracismo na Rússia Stalinista tanto quanto o fora Trótsky, por representar um socialismo libertário que divergia do terror implantado por Stálin. Só a partir das últimas décadas do século XX que Rosa voltou a ser um objeto de pesquisa próprio da esquerda libertária.
Para além da vida da pensadora, temos um posfácio que delimita as injustiças e influências que sofreu e promoveu, como o fato de Luxemburgo ter sido relegada ao ostracismo na Rússia Stalinista tanto quanto o fora Trótsky, por representar um socialismo libertário que divergia do terror implantado por Stálin. Só a partir das últimas décadas do século XX que Rosa voltou a ser um objeto de pesquisa próprio da esquerda libertária.
February 24, 2016
So this has definitely been my favorite book of 2016. I discovered it on Goodreads and soon after requested it through the interlibrary loan request of my university (and it was fulfilled by Fordham University, ~3,000 miles away--thanks so much, libraries, you're the greatest!). And soon as I finished it, I got online to buy a copy for myself so I could share it with my friends and family. To be clear, this is the first book I have bought for myself in rather a long time, I think in over a year--usually I check books out, get them from the many little free libraries around town, get them at thrift stores or buy deeply discounted used copies (I also have an extensive backlog of books I bought years ago or were gifts). I just had to own it, because it's beautiful. The first person I loaned it to was my social theory professor, and she wants to scan part of it to share with her classical theory classes.
Okay, so what's it about? Rosa Luxemburg! Who is Rosa Luxemburg, you ask? She was an theorist, philosopher, and revolutionary in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. I had never heard of her--but when I told my parents I was reading a book about her, both of them were like "Ohh Rosa Luxemburg, so cool!" I felt like I did that time I decided to check out a VHS called Cosmos and discovered Carl Sagan's wonderful program about our universe, called them up to gush about it, and they were like "oh yeah I remember that show." Well why didn't you share it with me, guys?? Why didn't you tell about Rosa Luxemburg! Because she is rad.
And not only is Rosa great, but this book is too. Remember when I gave 2.5 stars to the graphic biography of Emma Goldman and cited "the format" as what the issue was? Yeah, well, this is the same "format" but has none of those issues. This book actually covers Rosa's politics--including an excellent section where Marxist theory is covered as Rosa explains it to her brothers at the dinner table. But the fact that we get great information on Rosa's politics, opinions, and political projects does not come at the cost of her biography as a person, either. Various relationships are depicted, including good friends, lovers, family, political allies and adversaries, and my favorite--her pet cat, Mimi (Mimi is so adorable, too). Her letters are quoted extensively so we get a great idea of what was going on in her mind. This book also didn't run into that choppiness I've come across in other graphic biographies, where characters and situations are suddenly introduced only to be just as suddenly vanished without explanation. It flows really nicely.
And and and!! There are tons of notes in the back! It's amazing! For almost every single page, Kate Evans has multiple notes that tell you where she is pulling quotes and events from, and if the "real life" version differs at all from the story in the book, or if she's speculating and what that's based on. It's fantastic. It was so cool to be able to wonder "did that really happen??" and be able to turn to the back (which I did very often) to see that, yes, it did, or information on where the author got her information. She's pretty meticulous too--there's a note saying that in the graphic biography, she has Rosa cut her hair in a different year than she cut it in real life. I really appreciate this aspect of the book; it's thorough and well cited and I know exactly where to find more information should I want it.
Oh and it made me cry too.
Anyway I am so glad I discovered this book and I heartily recommend it. Rosa is an inspiration and her life story is fascinating, remarkable, and touching. I can't come up with a single complaint about this book which, if you read my reviews often, you will know is quite rare. ;)
Okay, so what's it about? Rosa Luxemburg! Who is Rosa Luxemburg, you ask? She was an theorist, philosopher, and revolutionary in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. I had never heard of her--but when I told my parents I was reading a book about her, both of them were like "Ohh Rosa Luxemburg, so cool!" I felt like I did that time I decided to check out a VHS called Cosmos and discovered Carl Sagan's wonderful program about our universe, called them up to gush about it, and they were like "oh yeah I remember that show." Well why didn't you share it with me, guys?? Why didn't you tell about Rosa Luxemburg! Because she is rad.
And not only is Rosa great, but this book is too. Remember when I gave 2.5 stars to the graphic biography of Emma Goldman and cited "the format" as what the issue was? Yeah, well, this is the same "format" but has none of those issues. This book actually covers Rosa's politics--including an excellent section where Marxist theory is covered as Rosa explains it to her brothers at the dinner table. But the fact that we get great information on Rosa's politics, opinions, and political projects does not come at the cost of her biography as a person, either. Various relationships are depicted, including good friends, lovers, family, political allies and adversaries, and my favorite--her pet cat, Mimi (Mimi is so adorable, too). Her letters are quoted extensively so we get a great idea of what was going on in her mind. This book also didn't run into that choppiness I've come across in other graphic biographies, where characters and situations are suddenly introduced only to be just as suddenly vanished without explanation. It flows really nicely.
And and and!! There are tons of notes in the back! It's amazing! For almost every single page, Kate Evans has multiple notes that tell you where she is pulling quotes and events from, and if the "real life" version differs at all from the story in the book, or if she's speculating and what that's based on. It's fantastic. It was so cool to be able to wonder "did that really happen??" and be able to turn to the back (which I did very often) to see that, yes, it did, or information on where the author got her information. She's pretty meticulous too--there's a note saying that in the graphic biography, she has Rosa cut her hair in a different year than she cut it in real life. I really appreciate this aspect of the book; it's thorough and well cited and I know exactly where to find more information should I want it.
Oh and it made me cry too.
Anyway I am so glad I discovered this book and I heartily recommend it. Rosa is an inspiration and her life story is fascinating, remarkable, and touching. I can't come up with a single complaint about this book which, if you read my reviews often, you will know is quite rare. ;)
May 4, 2022
Very text heavy. It’s such a great synthesis of theory, history, and commentary. The art work is good, but the splash pages really stand out.
May 17, 2016
A opinião em vídeo:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CphTC...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CphTC...
April 21, 2020
Мені сподобалось, бо книжка фокусується як на біографії, так і на ідеях Люксембурґ, а авторка Кейт Еванс виконала величезну дослідницьку роботу. До того ж подано контекст — назрівання і вибух пролетарських революцій у Росії й Німеччині. Але самі малюнки не є другим рівнем тексту, а слугують радше ілюстрацією, плюс вони досить одноманітні.
February 6, 2021
Det här är en bok som har potential men för mig faller allt med illustrationerna. Berättelsen är otroligt intressant men tas ner av de ibland karikatyrartade bilderna.
April 15, 2019
🌹"Quiero obrar en la gente como un trueno, para encender sus pensamientos con la amplitud de mis conocimientos, la fortaleza de mis convicciones y el poder de mi oratoria." 🌹 Rosa Luxemburg, mujer inmortal 💜✨
June 2, 2016
A personal and political biography of Rosa Luxemburg, from her childhood in Poland, through her early activism in Switzerland, to her revolutionary activity in Germany before, during, and after the war, and her eventual murder by the police under the socialist (in name only) government of Friedrich Ebert in 1919.
This is a really good book. You get a real sense of Luxemburg's brilliant mind and unfailing courage. She was a revolutionary's revolutionary, during a time when erstwhile revolutionary socialists were all too eager to give their support to an imperialist war. Luxemburg consistently opposed the war, and was jailed for a year for attempting to organize resistance to it, and again in 1916 for over two years.
Germany was ripe for revolution in 1918, and a successful revolution there would likely have changed the course of the 20th century. But, thanks in large part to incompetence on the part of the new German communist party, and self-serving decisions on the part of the Soviet government, as well as quick, violent, and decisive action on the part of the German government, the revolution was an uncoordinated disaster, and had failed by the time of Luxemburg's murder.
Sadly, many of Luxemburg's manuscripts were destroyed by looting soldiers following her death. Much of the surviving work can be found at The Rosa Luxemburg Library.
This is a really good book. You get a real sense of Luxemburg's brilliant mind and unfailing courage. She was a revolutionary's revolutionary, during a time when erstwhile revolutionary socialists were all too eager to give their support to an imperialist war. Luxemburg consistently opposed the war, and was jailed for a year for attempting to organize resistance to it, and again in 1916 for over two years.
Germany was ripe for revolution in 1918, and a successful revolution there would likely have changed the course of the 20th century. But, thanks in large part to incompetence on the part of the new German communist party, and self-serving decisions on the part of the Soviet government, as well as quick, violent, and decisive action on the part of the German government, the revolution was an uncoordinated disaster, and had failed by the time of Luxemburg's murder.
Sadly, many of Luxemburg's manuscripts were destroyed by looting soldiers following her death. Much of the surviving work can be found at The Rosa Luxemburg Library.
September 28, 2018
4.5 stars I enjoy learning new things about historical figures. I had heard Rosa Luxembourg’s name,but knew virtually nothing about her. Her strength, intelligence, gumption, wit and passion were inspirational - especially at a time women were little more than “furniture” to look nice and sit quietly at the turn of the 20th century. Katie Evans showed that Rosa was outspoken and brave, while still being a lover, daughter, friend, cat-lover and champion for the underdogs in politics. Evans drawings are intriguing and true to life, and her subtle artist appearances added to the enjoyment of this graphic novel.
September 20, 2020
Graphic novels and history, what's not to love?
This is a great introduction to the life of one of THE greatest Marxist thinkers. Luxemburg's political writings are used really well in the book but so too are snippets from her personal letters. A huge chunk of the book is directly quoting letters, speeches, and texts.
Rosa Luxemburg exemplified a kind of humanism that is deeply admirable, and paired it with an intellect which- as it seems from reading this- put many of her peers to shame.
"I want to affect people like a clap of thunder...to inflame their minds with the breadth of my vision, the strength of my conviction and the power of my expression."
This is a great introduction to the life of one of THE greatest Marxist thinkers. Luxemburg's political writings are used really well in the book but so too are snippets from her personal letters. A huge chunk of the book is directly quoting letters, speeches, and texts.
Rosa Luxemburg exemplified a kind of humanism that is deeply admirable, and paired it with an intellect which- as it seems from reading this- put many of her peers to shame.
"I want to affect people like a clap of thunder...to inflame their minds with the breadth of my vision, the strength of my conviction and the power of my expression."
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