LETTERS
from such a possibility. Neverthe–
less, the left can still claim to speak
in the name of national ideals that
are compatible with democracy
and socialism. That such ideals
have been betrayed in the name of
both socialism and democracy is a
tragedy. But wedonot betray them
simply because their pursuit in a
cold war may give aid and comfort
to another enemy. We betray them
when we do nothing to enrich
them.
Jules R. Benjamin
Rochester, New York
William Phillips replies:
Perhaps there is no way out
for the left now. Not all problems
can be solved at all times.
In
any
event, my point was that the left,
to be viable, must dissociate itself
from all those ideas and move–
ments that serve only to bolster
the national policies of a totalitar–
ian regime. It is not enough for the
left to preach a vague rhetoric of
justice and democracy, while ig–
noring all the forces that make
that rhetoric meaningless-and
perpetuating false and illusory
notions. For example, Solidarity
need not worry about weakening
the Soviet Union, for that is a de–
sirable aim. Also, to leave the "de–
struction of the Soviet empire to
those within it" is a form of moral
as well as political isolationism.
And worry about "being drowned
by the larger cold war chorus" is
based on misconception. The cold
war represents the conflict be–
tween two different social orders–
about which the left should not be
639
indifferent. Nor should it be so
cavalier about reducing the strength
of either America or Israel.
If
the
socialist left is to be international,
then it has to take international
positions-and not simply those
predetermined by radical cant.
To the Editor:
I was extremely pleased to
read the "Letter from Italy"
(Parti–
san Review,
1, 1983) by Francois
Bondy, devoted to the work of my
late brother Guido Morselli.
As far as I know, for the first
time an American literary journal
has devoted space to the subject,
although my brother's books have
been known and discussed at the
Italian School of Harvard for a
number of years.
I am sure that you will not
mind if I point out some minor
and some not so minor inaccura–
cies in Bondy's letter. Among the
minor, there are quite a few mis–
spellings of the titles of the books,
such as
Il Communista
(it should
be
I
I
Comunista), Controppassato
(Contropassato),
plus other incor–
rect spellings such as
ridimension–
nato
(ridimensionato), and the
main character in
Il Comunista
is
Ferranini, not Ferrannini.
The more serious inaccura–
cies have to do with the year of
Guido's death; it was summer of
1973, and not 1974; he died in
Varese and not near Varese; and
during the war he was in Calabria
and not in Sicily. Finally, in
Con–
tropassato,
the covert attack by the
Austrian army which forced Italy
to surrender, took place not "at the
