英国左派读书俱乐部的故事

             作者： 程映虹

　　三十年代中期的英国正处于经济危机之中，百业萧条，市面冷清，欧洲大陆崛起的法西斯更使这个孤悬海外的帝国处于阴霾之中。国运如此不济，不列颠的岛民们多半郁郁寡欢，天色未黑就纷纷放下窗帘，偎在火炉边用纸牌算命。

然而，每逢周末，在伦敦和其它很多城市里，狾众多男女行色匆匆地离开家门。他们右手披薅B衣或夹薅B伞，左手都拿著书和笔记本，有的驾车，多数搭乘巴士和地铁，来到一些书店、咖啡馆和住家。他们敲开门，主人热情地将他们迎进，在客厅的沙发上围坐成一圈。当他们将带来的书打开，放在面前的茶几上后，头顶的吊灯便在咖啡的芬芳中温馨地照出了书的封皮：《马克思主摮学教科书》、《资本主撖鄏s在下去吗？》、《为什厶资本主撌N味战争？》、《苏维埃共产主憛G新的文明》、《俄国革命简史》……。如果有中国读者在场，他们会在桌上发现爱德加·斯诺的《西行漫记》和艾格尼丝·史末特莱的《中国在反抗》。街上的行人路过时，常常透过窗帘看到这些人在灯下热烈讨论的身影。

　他们还包租剧场看苏联电影，如《战舰波将金号》和《夏伯阳》，此外也有反映英国工人贫困状G和西班牙内战的纪录片。他们学俄语，开办了俄语班。当夏季来临的时候，他们前往避璁胜地，像少先队一举办夏令营，早上由请来的名家，如英国共产党的领导人、英国左派知识分子或者苏联外交官员演讲，下午是讨论，晚上是各种文艺活动，有电影、音乐、戏剧和舞会。他们还定期组织去苏联的参观团，实实在在地感受这个充满希望的乐。

　　他们是英国左派读书俱乐部的成员。这个俱乐部成立于一九三六年，其基层组织是学习小组，成员从几个人到数十人不等。一九三八年是俱乐部的鼎盛期，其成员有五丌七千人。

　　

Sir Victor Gollancz ( 9 April 1893 – 8 February 1967) was a British publisher and humanitarian.

　　俱乐部的领导人叫维克多·戈伦茨（Victor Gollancz）。他是一个社会主慦怴A一个群众运动的组织家，同时也是一个精明的书商。他有一家出版公司，就以自己的名字命名（Victor Gollancz Ltd）。三十年代，在经济危机和法西斯主慦澈胁下，他认为资本主撏N要完蛋了，世界的前途往好里说是社会主憛A往坏里说是法西斯，但英国人都看不到这一点，他要用书籍来擦亮他们的眼睛，于是想出了组织读书俱乐部的主意 （ 1942年年底，他曾撰文预言，希特勒的第三帝国将会屠杀掉欧洲六百丌犹太人 ）。

　　俱乐部成立以后，由于它给很多在经济危机和战争威胁下惶恐不安而又　所适从的人指出了一个方向，提供了一个互相交流和安慰的场合，既有严肃的讨论，又有轻松的娱乐，还打破了社会阶层和地区的樊篪、为男女社交供了方便，于是很快就由一个读书会变成了热热闹闹的群众组织。

　　随茩乐部的发展，各地都有了学习小组，戈伦茨于是建立了地区委员会和全国总部。除了出版书籍，俱乐部还发行了叫左翼评论的报纸。戈伦茨对俱乐部的发展十分得意，他雇了一批秘书，在自己的办公室里挂了一张大地图，每当一个新的学习小组在某个城镇建立起来时，他就在那里插上一面小红旗。他常常一个人对茼a图，冥想红旗插遍英伦三岛的美景。

　　戈伦茨出版公司出版的红色书籍之多，在西方除了美国的每月评论出版社外大概没有出版社能及得上。斯诺和史沫特莱的书，以及韦伯夫妇访问苏联后写的一千二百页的巨著《苏维埃社会主--新的文明》都是首先在这里出版的。

　　可笑又可悲的是：正是俱乐部为之赞美和陶醉的苏联给了它意想不到的打击。一九三九年八月二十三日，社会主苏联和法西斯德国突然签署互不侵犯条约，两个死敌一下变成了友邦。俱乐部的所有成员，包括戈伦茨，都被斯大林的这个贝w惊得目瞪口呆。他们就像是坐在开往莫斯科的列车上，被一个意外的急转弯弄得天旋地转，大部分成员被抛出了车厢，跌得头破血流，重则咒骂斯大林和苏联是叛徒，诅咒发誓这辈子再也不粘左派的边，轻则写信给戈伦茨，就像弃儿一般可怜而焦急地问道：我们该怎厶办？谁来指引航向？俱乐部收到雪片般飞来的退出俱乐部的声明，很多人甚至不屑声明退出，就　声　息地从名单上消失了。

　　戈伦茨也不知道是怎厶一回事。但商人的直觉使他知道该怎厶办。他允许发表批判苏联的言论，还找到早就看穿了斯大林的乔治·奥威堙A和他一起组稿出版了《左派的背叛》。但一切为时已晚。建立在苏联崇拜基础上的俱乐部元气已经伤尽，戈伦茨只能呆坐在他伦敦的总部里，看茼a图上那标志茤鶪辉煌的　数小红旗发愣，给解雇的女秘书们发遣散费。虽然在名樽W俱乐部一直存在到一九四六年，但一九四Ｏ年以后它已经成了一具僵尸。

　　戈伦茨虽然向往社会主憛A但他个人的生活方式离他向公众推销的差得很远。在俱乐部的鼎盛时期，他住在伦敦一所有十个仆人的大房子里，还有一所有三个花匠的乡间别墅。他坐的是有专职司机开的卧车，每天中午在伦敦一家有名的餐馆订有包座。随茩乐部事业的发展，招来的女秘书也越来越多，有好几个成了他的情人。这些开销基本上是由俱乐部的经济收入来保证的。革命书籍的大量出版，竟然造就了一个大资本家，这大概是马克思主辩证法的一个极端事例。

       选自《天空部落》

The creation of the Left Book Club was a unique event. It was the first book club in Britain, the first socialist book club, and its overriding feature was that it brought together all elements of the Left. Historically, despite many attempts, no one had ever achieved left unity on such a scale. The book club was more than just a club,  it was seen by all who took part as a political movement, that stimulated its members to work together for a better future. When the first socialist government took power in Britain in 1945, a significant number of senior members of the new government had received their earlier training through the Left Book Club. Ernest Bevin, Herbert Morrison and nine other Left Book Club authors sat in the Cabinet, including the new Prime Minister. The Left Book Club’s achievement was due in part to the social and political conditions of the time, and to the character of its founder, Victor Gollancz.

The Left Book Club was a child of its time. I think people sometimes forget that governments before 1945 openly worked primarily for the owners of large capital, for the wealthy.  Workers in the 19th century had made important gains through struggles for democracy, and through the creation of trades unions. Up until 1914, relations between Labour and the owners of Capital had changed little since Karl Marx wrote in the 1850s and 60s. The advent of the Liberal Party had instituted some changes, but generally speaking Parliament represented the owners of Capital.  Despite the huge sacrifices of human life and resources in the 1914-18 war, where nearly a million young men died, government policy in 1919 made no concessions for the death and suffering of the people.

...

By 1940 membership had dropped from 57,000 to 36,000, and by 1941 the monthly sections were down to print runs of around 10,000 copies. The defence of Stalingrad increased the popularity of the club again and by 1945 the monthly print run was up to 18,000 copies. These numbers would make any subsequent Socialist publisher drool with envy. After the defeat of Nazi Germany the immediate political issues that had sustained the club fell away; these included the economic crises, the Spanish civil war, the agitation for collective security, and the idea of the popular front. Most importantly Gollancz’s own focus changed, as he turned to relief for Germany and nuclear disarmament. The focus of the fight for a just society had shifted once again, and the special brand of a brilliant leader had changed. After 1945, in part thanks to the Left Book Club, a welfare state had been established, and, except for a few short years of austerity, standards of living in Britain rose year after year up to the 1970s.

    Heaven  on  Earth  6  -  British  Socialism

 天上人间 —— 大不列颠及北爱兰社会主