"The general was unable to contain his almost inarticulate fury any longer.He could only scream 'Muera la inteligencia! Viva la muerte!'(Death to the intelligentsia! Long live Death!')The Falangists took up his cry and army officers took out their pistols. Apparently, the general's bodyguard even levelled his submachine-gun at Unamuno's head, but this did not deter Unamuno from crying defiance.
'This (the University of Salamanca) is a temple of the intellect and I am its high priest.It is you who profane its sacred precincts. You will win, because you have more than enough brute force. But you will not convince. For to persuade you would need what you lack: reason and right in your struggle. I consider it futile to exhort you to think of Spain.'
He paused and his arms fell to his sides. He finished in a quiet resigned tone: 'I have done'. "
from The Battle for Spain: The Spanish Civil War 1936-39, Antony Beevor
No comments:
Post a Comment