Red Rosa: A Graphic Biography of Rosa Luxemburg

226 Pages·2015·139.8 MB·English

by  Kate Evans

ROSA
LUXEMBURG
VERSO STIFTUNG
Verso would like to thank the Rosa Luxemburg St.ifi:ung
for assistance in publishing this book.
ROSA
LUXEMBURG
STIFTUNG
First published by Verso 2015
Artwork and text © Kate Evans 2015
Afterword © Paul Buhle 2015
All rights reserved
The moral right5 of the artist and authors have been asserted
13579 108642
Verso
UK: 6 Mearcl Street, London WlFOEG
US: 20 Jay Street, Suite IO I 0, Brooklyn, NY 1120 I
ww,v. verso books.com
Verso is the imprint of New Left Books
ISBN-13: 978-1-78478-099-9
eISBN-13: 978-1-78478-101-9 (US)
eISBN-13: 978-1-78478-100-2 (UK)
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Libraiy
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalog record for this book is available from the Libra.I')' of Congress
1 ypeset by Seai1 Ford
Printed in the US by Maple Press
A graphic
biography of
Rosa Luxemburg
Written and illustrated by Kate Evans
Edited and with an afterword by Paul Buhle
The following is a fictional representation of factual events.
Photographic source material has been used to create the
characters ;rnd settings. Italicised passages of text are direct
quotes from Luxemburg's writings; whe1-e these have been
edited for brevity the quotations have been reproduced in
full in the notes al the encl of the book. In addition to this,
many of the conversations between the characters have been
created using Luxemburg's actual vvords; once again the
original quotes, and context, are included at the end. In order
to compress a life as rich as Rosa's into 179 pages, minor
events have been omitted, some peripheral characters have
been conflated, and in a few places the chronology of events
has been reversed for dramatic effect. The notes contain a
full explanation of any deviation from the historical record.
Saturday, March 18th 1871.
,
The people of P,u-is rise up
and seize control of their city.
The ordinary women, men and
children of the Paris Commune
embark upon ;m open experimen
I
lihertl, egalite ,md fraternitl.
It will
last for two
Meanwhile, in the small
city of Zamosc, Poland ...
Edward,
youbaveMo.x
and.Ji,z.e/
Where is Mikoly?
Anna, my child,
5lop 3,:i~iTJ_g al
:::;;tf!.,.
!four habys ;sJer
!~d
j-;;'
hi~~ ___... ,,~--..
{"_
'/AIR.~~
I
I
, JJ 91rl, ye&?
7'
A11J 1
· ho-wold
is .s.lief
-~l
2
WeJJ! 7here's .110 dovht
wJ,o 1-he father 15/
It} averg
)
fin<! no.se.
I Jove
}:lour
11ose/
_/
_find lhal: ]know! 1 puf a cap
/hair! on her and il.rlicks
slraigJ,t hacJ up
-µher, 1 'tal<e
jlcff \
/
.Pont Jisl~JJ to
my husbar,J.
His}rains
are addled in
J
his dofa;1e.
/
She is our Jate..._
;,,,,' J;Joomin_g ra5e.
'\ •\\ ~',.,
,,
Ah ~s,'f?.oza/14~
A Jorel_g 1>ame.
Js she a 900d J>abJI?
poes she Crj!?
Poes she s/e~?
"'YJ
,
.,
-
'
0 ' .
;_.- ·\)\~
,:
~"" l1 .j §\
~ '*~~ I~ I
3
' 1m~~=~.===;.., ,,--------~
r------..-.i"-.------'
What do we know of Rosa The family settle
Luxemburg's childhood? in Warsaw when
she is tl1ree
years old.
They rent an
apa.rln1enl on
Zfola Street,
a respectable
We can district, not in
only glean a few tl1eJewish
crumbs of information. quarter.
Little Rosa doesn't grnw straight. She has
Little Rosa
a strange limp, which bafTies tl1e doctor·.
doesn't gTow
(Probably congenital hip dysplasia.)
ta.II.
\t\lhen she is five, they confine
her for a year in a heavy
plaster cast. . [ Jd!l~lfii
:I .
Her dispropor
tionately small
a.dull frame hints
at childhood
malnub·ition.
-==:....=~--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-=--L-
"c~e=~n~t~:u-r=i:-e:--s-o-;f:--,u-1~b-·- ~S:"e.n.,~1i~tifc!. :___ ___ _..1_ l'.._. -_-_:.._. -_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-~--_J
legislation restrict Edward's Lina.I lie re'lsonable!
employment options.
Re asonahle? This 1i hC!t
He sb·uggles by as a w~
lolerable ! have enou9h
businessman, but
lo pa':J the renl - ho more.
business isn't good.
Whal J..Jill Ive eat? 11~~ needs
h<>~ls ! Iozefn eeds boots t
The# .have pul thal nut on
'R_c,sa -we must pa'J lhe
doctor, or sht:111 I take it
<J/f 111!:Jse!f 1vith a saw?
4