THE MYTHOPOEIA OF DOLORES IBÁRRURI, PASIONARIA 285

THE MYTHOPOEIA OF DOLORES IBÁRRURI, PASIONARIA

Mary Ann Dellinger

Probably no other historical figure of Spain’s twentieth century, with the obvious exception of Francisco Franco himself, remains to this day the object of both adoring fanaticism and unequalled disdain as Dolores Ibárruri, also known as Pasionaria. A gifted orator and a fervent Marxist, she headed the Spanish Communist Party (Partido Comunista de España, or PCE) from Moscow for the greater part of her thirty-eight-year exile, and continues to be loved by millions while despised by many others and hailed by such irreconcilable soubriquets as the “Lady of Elche” of Spanish Communism1 and “Stalin’s Carmen.”2 Ibárruri’s implacable commitment to Communist dogma and the Party, overshadowed only by her powerful oratorical style and unmitigated audac- ity, helped her rise swiftly in ranks of the PCE, and she was elected to the Spanish Congress in 1936 representing the northern provinces of Asturias. Her visibility in the Popular Front during the final years of the Second Spanish Republic, as well as her leadership during the Civil War on behalf of the Loyalists, forced her into exile at the conclusion of the conflict, where she remained until two years after Franco’s death. During the nearly four decades of her exile, Ibárruri continued to play a major role in Spanish politics through the clandestine anti-Franco move- ment: publishing articles in the underground press, giving speeches to exiles around the world and, most importantly, on the Kremlin-financed Radio España Independiente (Independent Spanish Radio). Her popularity remained intact throughout the dictatorship, so much so that when she returned to Spain in 1977, she was elected again to represent Asturias in Congress. For the most part, the legendary figure of Pasionaria has passed unscathed through the portal of this new millennium while other vestiges

1 The Lady of Elche is an Iberian bust dating back to the 5th century Bce. Although scholars debate her identity—goddess, priestess, or princess—the Dama de Elche clearly represents the single most important ancient Spanish icon. 2 Federico Jiménez Losantos, “Dolores Ibárruri, ‘Pasionaria’: La ‘Carmen’ de Stalin,” Federico Jiménez Losantos, http://www.arrakis.es/~corcus/losnuestros/ laPasionaria.htm (accessed Feb. 25, 2001). All translations in this chapter are by Mary Ann Dellinger unless otherwise noted. 286 Mary Ann Dellinger of Western European Communism remain buried beneath the cultural rubble of the twentieth century, best forgotten except by political scientists and scholars of history. In contrast, Dolores—as she preferred to be called—continues to be not only the subject of biographers and popular documentaries but also the muse of leftist poets and Third World revolu- tionaries. Her bigger-than-life shadow looms over literary plots written in multiple languages, while her story−historical and allegorical−has been dramatized, filmed, choreographed,3 and in 2001 debuted as a production titled Pasionaria that synthesizes dance, dramatic interpretation, puppets, and song.4 Indeed, since her role in the defense of Madrid in 1937, a myth- ical aura has come to surround the persona of Dolores Ibárruri— Pasionaria—converting her into a cultural icon recognized not only within the Iberian Peninsula, but also around the world, in two diametrically opposing versions. The purpose of this study is to explore the way in which different rep- resentations of the Communist leader converge in Western literature to preserve neither the biography of the woman Dolores Ibárruri nor her place in history, but rather to promulgate the image of Pasionaria as a mythical figure, defined within a classical context as well as the modern paradigm theorized by the French semiotician Roland Barthes.

Establishing a Literary Framework: Legends, Myths, and Metonymies

While the adjective “legendary” has certainly been used accurately used to describe the historical deeds of Dolores Ibárruri the woman, the term falls short of portraying the larger- than-life Pasionaria persona, created by her detractors as much as by her admirers. Universally, myths and legends pertain to oral traditions; that is to say, neither originates in written form. Myths and legends, in the literary sense, are handed down intergeneration- ally as part of cultural inheritance. Both focus on dramatic deeds or para- normality, but they are neither synonymous nor interchangeable. Real people and authentic events (for the most part) provide the basis for leg- ends, although the recounting of these tales over the course of several

3 Julia Pascal, “Jane Dudley: Contemporary dancer and choreographer Who Brought New Ideas to Britain.” The Guardian, September 9, 2001. http://web6.infotrac.galegroup. com (accessed July 5, 2002). 4 “Teatro-Pasionaria. Obra recuerda vida Dolores Ibárruri a través de títeres y danza.” Spanish News Service, April 19, 2001, Lexis Nexis via LIAS, http://www.LIAS.psu.edu (accessed July 5, 2002).