The Politics of Passion: Norman Bethune's Writing and Art

by Norman Bethune, Larry Hannant (Editor)

Overview

The Politics of Passion is the first comprehensive collection of the writing and art of Dr Norman Bethune. A Canadian medical pioneer and a communist, Bethune gained fame during the 1930s while serving in the Spanish Civil War and participating in China's struggle against Japanese invasion.

This book sheds light on the man, the artist, and the revolutionary. It uncovers new historical material relating to several controversies surrounding Bethune. A remarkable document obtained from the Communist International Archives in Moscow, for instance, discusses why Bethune was sent home in disgrace from the Spanish Civil War. It refers to a mysterious Swedish woman, Kajsa von Rothman, who was Bethune's lover and who was believed by left-wing Spanish authorities to be politically suspect.

This collection of Bethune's writings and art reveals that politics preoccupied him only during the last four years of his life. Earlier, his passionate nature found expression in medical and surgical innovation, as well as in painting, sketching, photography, writing - from poetry and short stories to letters, radio broadcasts, and plays - and public speaking. The Politics of Passion reveals the many sides of Bethune's identity, exploring not only the life of a revolutionary doctor, but of an intense and compassionate artist.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781487589707
Publisher:	University of Toronto Press
Publication date:	05/01/1998
Series:	Heritage
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	410
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

Norman Bethune (1890-1939) was a Canadian medical pioneer and communist.

Larry Hannant is a professor in the Department of Humanities at Camosun College. He specializes in twentieth-century Canadian and American history.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments

1 Introduction

2 Adventurer: Youth to December 1927

3 Crusader: Montreal, 1928-1934

4 Convert: 1935-1936

5 Anti-fascist: Spain, November 1936 to May 1937

6 Propagandist: North America, June 1937 to January 1938

7 Anti-imperialist: China, 1938

8 Martyr: China, 1939

Appendix i: Report on the Actions of the Canadian Delegation in Spain
Appendix 2: Chronology of the Life of Dr Norman Bethune
A Note on Sources
Notes
Bibliography of Bethune's Works
Illustration Credits
Index