A forgotten novel by Spanish anarcho-syndicalist leader Salvador Seguí comes to light

On March 10, 1923, Salvador Seguí (Lleida, 1887) was shot to death in the Raval neighborhood of Barcelona, ​​supposedly at the hands of a group of hit men from the Free Trade Union who operated as a shock force for the Catalan employers.

His assassination shocked the city of Barcelona, ​​where Seguí, better known as the

, was a prominent anarcho-syndicalist leader of the CNT.

One hundred years later, his figure continues to be one of the most prominent in the history of trade unionism in Spain.

He is credited with achieving for the first time in Europe the working day of eight hours a day and 40 hours a week after the strike of the workers of La Canadiense, the electric company of the Catalan city.

Coinciding with the centenary of his death, the Salvador Seguí Foundation, linked to the General Confederation of Labor (CGT) —one of the two main branches into which Spanish anarcho-syndicalism divided in the 1980s—, publishes an anthology of texts his that includes two short novels.

One already known,

in which he seems to risk his own destiny as an assassinated revolutionary, and another whose existence was unknown to him,

, set in Cuba and published by the La Novela Roja publishing house in Madrid in August 1922. “In the research for the book, we consulted the materials that were in the Arús Public Library in Barcelona.

The collection they have is impressive, it was a place that Seguí and many people from the Barcelona libertarian movement frequented because he was known for his progressive ideas”, Emili Cortavitarte Carral, president of the foundation, enthused over the phone, who does not hesitate to define the find as “a real treasure”.

I followed, a painter by profession, born into a humble family of bakers, he stood out from a young age as a union leader.

He stood out for his oratory and his longing for a trade unionism attached to the reality of the working class and the organization of the masses.

“The sores of a country cannot be healed with shouting and threats;

nor by pushing the adversary into the abyss with assassinations.

We want to establish a coexistence system in which the discussion of all issues is possible, ”he wrote in one of his texts.

Follower of the Modern School of Ferrer i Guardia, he also stood out as a cultural reference, librarian and promoter of the newspaper

.

"In the face of ignorance, books and newspapers, in the face of misery, association," said Seguí, who shared friendship and meetings with political figures of the time such as Francesc Layret, Lluís Companys or Largo Caballero.

Cover of the book 'Apóstoles y asesinos', by Antonio Soler. GALAXIA GUTEMBERG

The meaning of this proclamation against misery is precisely what moves the protagonist of the novel now discovered, a short text divided into three acts.

The protagonist, Silverio Salgado, is a young anarchist from Santiago de Cuba who convenes a popular rally in the Plaza de Armas of the eastern Cuban city.

He wants to denounce the poor living conditions of the popular layers in the face of the increasing enrichment of the upper classes in the context of "the European war."

He also the inaction of the political parties, the complicity of the media and the negligence of the rulers of Havana.

His call for a general strike will land him in jail and there he feels that his calls for collective action and social justice have permeated Cuban society:

“The country's atmosphere was characterized by a great restlessness, unknown months before.

It was no longer only in rallies and in political centers where revolution was talked about, but also in cafes, in theaters, on public roads, wherever two people met.

For Sonia Turón, president of the Anselmo Lorenzo Foundation, linked to the other historical branch of anarchist trade unionism, which maintains the classic acronym of the CNT organization, "Seguí was considered the giant of anarcho-syndicalism, a very relevant figure as a tireless propagandist, who united theory and practice and gave a determining impulse to the organization of the working class”.

Turón explains by phone that the Noi del Sucre was "a magnificent character of the street and structure" from which there is much to learn, and adds about its validity: "The organization that existed during the coronavirus pandemic, with food banks and other solidarity networks between neighbors, was a demonstration that Seguí's values ​​of mutual support are still alive.

In 2016, Antonio Soler published the fast-paced novel

(Galaxia Gutemberg), in which he narrates the life and death of Salvador Seguí in Barcelona at the beginning of the 20th century, trapped in an atmosphere of strikes, repression and crossfire.

“I followed, he was a very interesting guy, with that aspect that he wore as a dandy, more like Al Capone than a typical trade unionist.

His evolution as a street boy, self-taught and reader, with a beginning of wanting to turn everything upside down, but who, upon establishing himself as a union leader, is guiding his ideas towards more real conquests for the social majority, generates discrepancies with the line hard of anarchism”.

Soler's book, with the rhythm of a novel and profuse essay documentation, shows a photograph of Barcelona and an electrifying character.

In the author's opinion, Seguí's relevance also has to do with "his very clear defense of internationalism, like when he says that he has more in common with a Polish worker than with a Catalan businessman."

Precisely in

there is a passage in which the author reads about the rivalry between the cities of Santiago and Havana that, as Emili Cortaviarte Carral points out, seems to be set in Spain, in the conflicts between Barcelona and Madrid.

A finding that helps to better understand the thought and action of the Noi del Sucre.