Freedom: My Dream

by Enrico Arrigoni

The autobiography of Enrico an Italian anarchist who lived through the Russian Revolution, and was an anarchist war correspondent during the Spanish Revolution, seeing first hand and reporting on the iniquities of the communists as well as the fascists during that war.

This autobiography was originally published by Arrigoni and the Libertarian Book Club (which he helped start, in New York, and which still continues to this day), and went out of print and has been hard to find. This is an updated version that we are excited to present to anarchist readers who are interested in history, of who just like an exciting life story well told. Arrigoni went by many names (most commonly Frank Brand) in his illegal travels around the world, and escaped from many harrowing situations, including being held in one of the most brutal jails in Spain during the civil war there (his release was effected only through the personal efforts of some people including Emma Goldman).

The book is in two main sections, the first about his life and travels and adventures, the second about Spain - being reprints of his articles sent to the u.s. from many of the fronts of the war.

Arrigoni's character comes through every page, with humility, humor, a love of life, and a dedication to egoism, a kind of anarchy that was less popular in his day than it is even today.

Genres: History

Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[Dot Matrix · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite LBC books, and I'm not usually a fan of biographies. But Arrigoni's voice is so delightful, humble, authentic, enthusiastic, and funny, that it's hard not to be entirely charmed. Add to that (as sceox noted) that he lived through and talks about some of the most significant historical events of the last century, and you get a very fun read, though the first section ends with an understated but clearly heartbreaking event.
The second section, on his travels through civil-war Spain, is very different--more journalistic, but still touching, funny, and informative.
Arrigoni should stand, as does Novatore, as an icon of Italian individualists.

[Sceox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Arrigoni is that rare combination of a great storyteller who has great stories to tell from his own life. In Freedom: My Dream, his memoir, Arrigoni recounts his agitatation and street fighting in the Italian anarchist movement as a youth, reflects on Bruno Filippi's death, talks about going with his friends to beat up Mussolini before his rise to power. He escapes the military and the country, lives most of his life in exile, and seems to drop in on every major uprising of the early 20th century. Through all the exile and betrayals, living surrounded by enemies, Arrigoni keeps a keen wit, razor-sharp principles, and lust for the pleasures of life.

The second section of the book is not a continous narrative like the first, but a series of reports from the front during the Spanish Civil War. I wasn't expecting the shift in tone and so was jarred by the loss of narrative flow half way through the book. In any case, Arrigoni's isn't as strong in the second part but there is still a lot there in the way of stories, and fans of that period of history will especially appreciate his account.