Letters from Tomis

My Socialist Hall of Fame

During this chaotic era of vile rhetoric and manipulative tactics from our so-called bourgeois leaders, I am invigorated by the opportunity to reflect on Socialists, Revolutionaries, Philosophers, Guerrilla Leaders, Partisans, and Critical Theory titans, champions, and martyrs who paved the way for us—my own audacious “Socialism’s Hall of Fame.” These are my heroes and fore-bearers. Not all are perfect, or even fully admirable, but all contributed in some way to our future–either as icons to emulate, or as warnings to avoid in the future.

Victor Serge (1890–1947), born Victor Lvovich Kibalchich in Brussels to exiled Russian revolutionary parents, was a prominent Marxist intellectual, novelist, and revolutionary activist whose life traversed the tumultuous history of the early twentieth century. Initially drawn into anarchist circles, Serge’s ideological trajectory took him from libertarian socialism to Bolshevism, and finally to anti-Stalinist Marxism.

Early in his life, Serge became involved in anarchist movements, contributing to radical publications and participating in activities that resulted in imprisonment in France. After the 1917 Russian Revolution, Serge relocated to Soviet Russia in 1919, fully committing himself to the Bolshevik cause. Despite his initial support, Serge became deeply critical of the bureaucratic and authoritarian tendencies emerging under Stalin’s regime.

Serge held various positions within the Communist International (Comintern), contributing extensively to its literature and debates. However, his outspoken criticism of Stalinist policies led to his expulsion from the Communist Party in 1928 and multiple arrests. Serge was finally expelled from the Soviet Union in 1936 following an international campaign for his release.

Settling briefly in France and then in Mexico, Serge became a central figure among anti-Stalinist Marxists, aligning himself closely with Leon Trotsky and the Left Opposition. His writings during this period sharply critiqued the degeneration of the Soviet Revolution, advocating for democratic socialism and revolutionary humanism. Serge’s literary output included notable novels like “Conquered City” (1932) and “The Case of Comrade Tulayev” (1948), which vividly captured revolutionary fervor, political intrigue, and the moral complexities of revolutionary commitment.

Victor Serge died in Mexico City in 1947. Today, he is remembered not only as a revolutionary activist but as a profound critic of authoritarianism, whose intellectual legacy continues to resonate within Marxist and libertarian socialist thought.

Bibliography

• Serge, Victor. Memoirs of a Revolutionary. Translated by Peter Sedgwick. New York: NYRB Classics, 2012.

• Serge, Victor. The Case of Comrade Tulayev. Translated by Willard R. Trask. New York: NYRB Classics, 2004.

• Serge, Victor. Conquered City. Translated by Richard Greeman. New York: NYRB Classics, 2011.

• Weissman, Susan. Victor Serge: The Course is Set on Hope. London: Verso Books, 2001.

• Sedgwick, Peter. Victor Serge: The Unforgiving Years. New York: NYRB Classics, 2008.

• Greeman, Richard. Beware of Vegetarian Sharks: Radical Rants and Internationalist Essays by Victor Serge. Chicago: Haymarket Books, 2017.