A few months ago, I was in the midst of my regular eBay searching when I came upon a real show-stopper: A metal bust of Spanish heroine Dolores Ibárruri, known to many simply by the name "La Pasionaria". The piece was apparently a replica of a bust made by sculptor Jo Davidson in 1939. I was really intrigued and excited by this item. Judging from the photos and the description that accompanied the eBay listing, I could tell that it was a good deal bigger than any of the handful of small sculptures and figurines in my home library, but it was a striking piece and I have a special place in my heart for La Pasionaria, so I was quite sorry to see that the seller had listed the item at a rather high price (and that was without shipping added in, which was itself a bit steep for such a heavy object), and I regretfully passed on the item. However, I bookmarked the auction, and checked back from time to time, noting with some interest that the auction ultimately closed with no bidders. There was still a glimmer of hope that the sculpture of La Pasionaria might someday grace my library after all.For a couple of months, I ran an eBay search on Dolores Ibárruri every couple of days until I found a new listing for the same sculpture just a few weeks ago. This time around, the opening bid was very, very low and shipping was not too much of a concern, all things considered. I placed the first bid and over the course of a week or so, I watched the item carefully, and although I did have some competition, I gradually edged my high bid higher and higher so that I was never even outbid for the item. In the end, I still paid only a fraction of the listing that I had found a few months prior, and it wasn't too long until I received the item in the mail. It was everything I had hoped it would be. It's a heavy, sturdy piece made of something that the seller described as "pot metal" and the front of the piece bears a plate with the name "Dolores Ibárruri" which may or may not be a reproduction of her signature, On the back of the piece, Jo Davidson's name is engraved along with the year the piece was produced, 1939. The piece is about 9 inches wide and 11 inches tall. La Pasionaria now takes up quite a bit of space in her new home on the desk in my library, but she stands out in a very prominent manner which truly evokes the importance and passion of her life and legacy.
I had hoped to include a link to a selection of writings by Dolores Ibárruri with my note about this sculpture. But seeing as how marxists.org is not adding new content at present, it's just as well that I include selections of one of her finest addresses as part of this article.
FASCISM SHALL NOT PASS by Dolores Ibárruri
Speech delivered at a Mass Meeting Organized by the People's Front at the Mestal Stadium, Valencia, August 23, 1936 where 100, 000 people were present
Comrades, people of Valencia! You must not be surprised if at this deeply moving moment, when I see before me this huge mass of people filled with sacred enthusiasm and the determination to defend their national freedom, I may perhaps be unable to express the feelings that overwhelm me, that well up from the bottom, of my heart, and clothe them in simple and convincing words. This is an occasion when I should like more than ever to possess the eloquence to express the full force of my convictions, so as to prove to you how necessary it is to unite our ranks more closely than ever-for the danger today, too, is greater than ever.
I have come to you in these tragic and gloomy hours, when the fate of Spain and especially the future of the working masses is being decided. I have come to you, my mouth filled with the acrid taste of gunpowder, my mind filled with the impressions of the difficulties facing our comrades who are fighting on the summits and slopes of the Guadarramas, who realize the importance of our struggle and who are prepared to die rather than fall into the clutches of fascism. I have come to you from the field of battle, from that great fight which is assuming the character of a heroic epic, for we entered battle armed only with enthusiasm, self-sacrifice and supreme devotion to the cause of the people in order to fight an enemy furnished with all the means of warfare, which lie has stolen from the people...
If, when entering the firing line to fight the enemy who is threatening our national liberty, we have such enthusiasm in the rear, then I say to you, the working people of Valencia, what I said when I saw the weapons in the hands of the militia, when I saw the rifles in the hands of the troops loyal to the government:
FASCISM SHALL NOT PASS!
Fascism shall not pass because the wall of bodies with which we have barred its way is today strengthened by weapons of defence we have captured from the enemy—a cowardly enemy, because he has not the ideals which lead us into battle. The enemy therefore has no dash and impetuosity, whereas we are borne on the wings of our ideals, of our love, not for the Spain which is dying together with the enemy, but for the Spain we want to have—a democratic Spain. When we speak of Spain, we mean not only the name; we mean a democratic Spain, not the Spain which is clinging to her old traditions; we mean a Spain which will give the peasants land, which will socialize industry under the control of the workers, which will introduce social insurance so that the worker may not be condemned to a homeless old age; we mean a Spain which will completely and comprehensively, and in a revolutionary spirit, solve the economic problems that lie at the foundation of all revolutions. (Loud and prolonged applause.)
— from Dolores Ibárruri: Speeches and Articles, 1936-1938, Progress Publishers, 1938.
