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Almas Ardiendo: Notas de paz, de guerra y de exilio
Almas Ardiendo Notas De Paz, Guerra Y De Exilio de Degrelle Leon. M., La Hoja de Roble, 1954.
172 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1964
14 people are currently reading
768 people want to read
About the author
Leon Degrelle
48 books94 followersWalloon politician, founder of the Walloon Autorian Catholic movement "Rex" and Nazi collaborator volunteer of the Waffen SS
Degrelle was also active in the Belgian Catholic Party of which he splitoff in 1935 when he formed the Rex movement.
After Belgium was defeated by Germany, Degrelle joined the Wehrmacht. In 1943 he and all the other Wallonians were transferred to the Waffen SS. The Wallonian Waffen SS fought at the Eastern front.
After the war Degrelle fled to Spain and was the head publisher for the group "Círculo Español de Amigos de Europa". In the 1960s, Degrelle returned to public life as a neo-Nazi and gained great influence in far-right European circles. He published several books and papers glorifying Adolf Hitler and the Nazi regime and publicly denying the Holocaust.
Degrelle died in 1994 in a Spanish hospital.
Degrelle was also active in the Belgian Catholic Party of which he splitoff in 1935 when he formed the Rex movement.
After Belgium was defeated by Germany, Degrelle joined the Wehrmacht. In 1943 he and all the other Wallonians were transferred to the Waffen SS. The Wallonian Waffen SS fought at the Eastern front.
After the war Degrelle fled to Spain and was the head publisher for the group "Círculo Español de Amigos de Europa". In the 1960s, Degrelle returned to public life as a neo-Nazi and gained great influence in far-right European circles. He published several books and papers glorifying Adolf Hitler and the Nazi regime and publicly denying the Holocaust.
Degrelle died in 1994 in a Spanish hospital.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
January 29, 2023
10/10.
This book is a poetic war cry, a cry of the Faustian spirit for the regeneration of true nobility on this earth. Degrelle is a pious Christian, yet his Christianity is one of strength. He constantly implores us to overcome our bodily weakness through the divine spirit placed within us.
Not only did he preach this, but he lived it. Degrelle wrote most of his short musings in this book while freezing on the Eastern Front of WW2. It was 1944, and all seemed lost for Germany. Outnumbered, flanked on both sides, bombed constantly by the vicious Churchill, Germany was fighting its last battle. Yet Degrelle did not lose faith. His duty was to protect the retreat of the German women and children fleeing from the rapacious Bolshevik beasts. A noble death, an honorable death — these were immensely more valuable than a life continued in cowardice and shame.
Here are some incredible passages by Degrelle with my commentary. Remember that he wrote this while he was freezing in sub-zero temperatures, eating frozen and black bread, and wearing thin clothes in the face of frigid winds. These are not the words of some lifeless philosopher. No, they were gained through strife and struggle.
"Those who hesitate in the face of struggle are those whose souls are numb. A grand ideal always gives you the strength to overcome the body, to suffer from fatigue, from hunger, from cold. What matter sleepless nights, overwhelming toil, stress, or poverty! The main thing is to have at the bottom of your heart a great force which warms and which pushes forward, which revives the loose nerves, which makes the tired blood beat with great blows, which puts in the eyes that fire which burns and which conquers. Then suffering is of no consequence, the pain itself becomes joy because it is a means of enhancing one’s legacy, of purifying one's sacrifice."
What is life lived without struggle? It is merely a succession of pleasures, all of which increase one's weakness and fragility. Life without struggle and suffering is unfulfilling and pointless. One becomes a herded cow of the financier, pushed this way and that in order to make more money. But what are the joys of suffering! How it makes one strong and resistant to future hardship! How it sharpens the spirit and one's consciousness in the face of bodily pain! How good it feels to overcome the weak body of yours, to subjugate the whining stomach, throat, and skin! Suffering is purification, the fire by which the hardened sword (your soul) is forged.
"It is sweet to dream of an ideal and to build it in your mind. Still, to tell the truth, this is precious little. What is an ideal if it is just a game, or a sweet dream? You have to build it, after that, in reality. Each stone must be torn from our comfort, from our joys, from our rest, from our heart."
We may look at Sparta and think, "How incredibly disciplined they were! I wish I was that way." But we think little of the path to that discipline. The path to the ideal of complete domination of spirit over the body is not gotten through ease. It is gotten through literally ripping out one's habits and the old inclinations of the heart. It is a complete revolt against one's past and perenially apathetic nature. The spirit inside one's self calls out for danger, risk, daring, bravery, and effort over the gorging impulse of the body. The Faust inside all of us says, "Overcome!". But that overcoming only comes from ripping out the softness of our past.
"Any comparison seems laughable next to the liberation brought by the mastery of the spirit over our possessions, our needs, and our chains. We are freed from the old rusty chains that riveted us to mediocre conformities. We hold Destiny in our hands, Destiny clearly discovered in its liberating nudity. Happiness can be born everywhere. It comes, not from without, but from within us, holding within it infinite possibility."
Today is a materialistic age. Comforts, pleasures, and attention are the currencies most sought after. Jobs and careers are chased after as the final goods in life. Delusion runs amok. The true battle remains elusive to most of us moderns. The true battle is that of the spirit against the chains of our worldly attachments and comforts. We are so coddled by technology that we could not survive without it. Yet what does this make us? Weak! Against this weakness, we must cultivate a discipline of discomfort, of exposing ourselves to that which awakens our body. We must lift weights, expose our bodies to the cold, fast weekly, and cut out sugar. Through these disciplines, we raise the power of our souls and spirits, showing ourselves their true dominion over the base impulses of the body.
This book is a poetic war cry, a cry of the Faustian spirit for the regeneration of true nobility on this earth. Degrelle is a pious Christian, yet his Christianity is one of strength. He constantly implores us to overcome our bodily weakness through the divine spirit placed within us.
Not only did he preach this, but he lived it. Degrelle wrote most of his short musings in this book while freezing on the Eastern Front of WW2. It was 1944, and all seemed lost for Germany. Outnumbered, flanked on both sides, bombed constantly by the vicious Churchill, Germany was fighting its last battle. Yet Degrelle did not lose faith. His duty was to protect the retreat of the German women and children fleeing from the rapacious Bolshevik beasts. A noble death, an honorable death — these were immensely more valuable than a life continued in cowardice and shame.
Here are some incredible passages by Degrelle with my commentary. Remember that he wrote this while he was freezing in sub-zero temperatures, eating frozen and black bread, and wearing thin clothes in the face of frigid winds. These are not the words of some lifeless philosopher. No, they were gained through strife and struggle.
"Those who hesitate in the face of struggle are those whose souls are numb. A grand ideal always gives you the strength to overcome the body, to suffer from fatigue, from hunger, from cold. What matter sleepless nights, overwhelming toil, stress, or poverty! The main thing is to have at the bottom of your heart a great force which warms and which pushes forward, which revives the loose nerves, which makes the tired blood beat with great blows, which puts in the eyes that fire which burns and which conquers. Then suffering is of no consequence, the pain itself becomes joy because it is a means of enhancing one’s legacy, of purifying one's sacrifice."
What is life lived without struggle? It is merely a succession of pleasures, all of which increase one's weakness and fragility. Life without struggle and suffering is unfulfilling and pointless. One becomes a herded cow of the financier, pushed this way and that in order to make more money. But what are the joys of suffering! How it makes one strong and resistant to future hardship! How it sharpens the spirit and one's consciousness in the face of bodily pain! How good it feels to overcome the weak body of yours, to subjugate the whining stomach, throat, and skin! Suffering is purification, the fire by which the hardened sword (your soul) is forged.
"It is sweet to dream of an ideal and to build it in your mind. Still, to tell the truth, this is precious little. What is an ideal if it is just a game, or a sweet dream? You have to build it, after that, in reality. Each stone must be torn from our comfort, from our joys, from our rest, from our heart."
We may look at Sparta and think, "How incredibly disciplined they were! I wish I was that way." But we think little of the path to that discipline. The path to the ideal of complete domination of spirit over the body is not gotten through ease. It is gotten through literally ripping out one's habits and the old inclinations of the heart. It is a complete revolt against one's past and perenially apathetic nature. The spirit inside one's self calls out for danger, risk, daring, bravery, and effort over the gorging impulse of the body. The Faust inside all of us says, "Overcome!". But that overcoming only comes from ripping out the softness of our past.
"Any comparison seems laughable next to the liberation brought by the mastery of the spirit over our possessions, our needs, and our chains. We are freed from the old rusty chains that riveted us to mediocre conformities. We hold Destiny in our hands, Destiny clearly discovered in its liberating nudity. Happiness can be born everywhere. It comes, not from without, but from within us, holding within it infinite possibility."
Today is a materialistic age. Comforts, pleasures, and attention are the currencies most sought after. Jobs and careers are chased after as the final goods in life. Delusion runs amok. The true battle remains elusive to most of us moderns. The true battle is that of the spirit against the chains of our worldly attachments and comforts. We are so coddled by technology that we could not survive without it. Yet what does this make us? Weak! Against this weakness, we must cultivate a discipline of discomfort, of exposing ourselves to that which awakens our body. We must lift weights, expose our bodies to the cold, fast weekly, and cut out sugar. Through these disciplines, we raise the power of our souls and spirits, showing ourselves their true dominion over the base impulses of the body.
October 14, 2022
A beautiful and almost poetic homily/spiritual guide. Published nearly 70 years ago and more relevant now than ever. Includes meditations on his time fighting on the Eastern Front during WW2. Uplifting.
November 26, 2020
My first read from Antelope Hills publishing and I just have to say what an amazing book. Leon Degrelle is so under appreciated even by the American right. It is a must read. Never thought I would like poetic book but boy so many points at which you connect with the author even a few exciting tear jerkers at times. Antelope Hill is going to be a vital asset to our cause in the coming years. Grab yourself a copy of this book. Rollo of Gaunt did an amazing job translating.
June 14, 2018
Every Christian should read this. Genuinely think this might have changed my life.
February 5, 2022
Questo libro è nell'ordine: un bacio in fronte, un pugno nello stomaco, una martellata in testa e un treno in pieno.
Sicuramente adesso non ho le parole per parlarne né so se le avrò presto.
Recensione seria:
Se uno non sapesse minimamente chi è l'autore di queste pagine e, quindi, non partisse prevenuto, sono sicura si ritroverebbe in tante delle cose che ci sono scritte. Io non sono partita prevenuta, perché è una cosa che non faccio mai a prescindere.
Se si ha una concezione della vita, della spiritualità, e del mondo improntata a una certa visione questo libro ha l'effetto di un balsamo, perché viene più di una volta da dire "sì, è proprio così". C'è tanta umanità, mi verrebbe da aggiungere, in queste pagine. C'è poesia, anche. Sicuramente fervore, quello che oggi tristemente comincia a mancare.
Non condivido nel modo più assoluto le idee dell'autore (tranne qualche accenno sulla deriva del mondo moderno che mi sento di avallare) ma sono contenta di averlo letto senza farmi accecare dal pregiudizio.
In un mondo in cui non si legge un x autore perché "problematico" è importante fare anche delle escursioni nel campo avverso, perché ci si può sempre stupire di trovarsi di fronte a qualcuno che ci assomiglia molto.
E, aggiungo ancora, questo libro mi ha messo di fronte a una verità che già conoscevo: l'essere umano, animale complesso, è orrore e meraviglia insieme e nascondere l'orrore per cercare solo il buono è oltre che impossibile anche inutile. Bisogna essere amici dell'orrore, come diceva Marlon Brando in Apocalypse now.
Sicuramente adesso non ho le parole per parlarne né so se le avrò presto.
Recensione seria:
Se uno non sapesse minimamente chi è l'autore di queste pagine e, quindi, non partisse prevenuto, sono sicura si ritroverebbe in tante delle cose che ci sono scritte. Io non sono partita prevenuta, perché è una cosa che non faccio mai a prescindere.
Se si ha una concezione della vita, della spiritualità, e del mondo improntata a una certa visione questo libro ha l'effetto di un balsamo, perché viene più di una volta da dire "sì, è proprio così". C'è tanta umanità, mi verrebbe da aggiungere, in queste pagine. C'è poesia, anche. Sicuramente fervore, quello che oggi tristemente comincia a mancare.
Non condivido nel modo più assoluto le idee dell'autore (tranne qualche accenno sulla deriva del mondo moderno che mi sento di avallare) ma sono contenta di averlo letto senza farmi accecare dal pregiudizio.
In un mondo in cui non si legge un x autore perché "problematico" è importante fare anche delle escursioni nel campo avverso, perché ci si può sempre stupire di trovarsi di fronte a qualcuno che ci assomiglia molto.
E, aggiungo ancora, questo libro mi ha messo di fronte a una verità che già conoscevo: l'essere umano, animale complesso, è orrore e meraviglia insieme e nascondere l'orrore per cercare solo il buono è oltre che impossibile anche inutile. Bisogna essere amici dell'orrore, come diceva Marlon Brando in Apocalypse now.
May 25, 2022
Come si fa a parlare di un libro del genere, insieme profondo e poetico, profetico e sconcertante? Anche senza scomodare la politica, aspetto assolutamente secondario in quello che prima di tutto è un attacco alla mollezza spirituale del mondo moderno, Degrelle aveva la vista lunga. A distanza di quasi sessant'anni dalla prima redazione, la sua analisi si applica tale e quale alla nostra attualità. Allora perché scomodare politica e ideologie? Esistono verità universali, fatti innegabili che trascendono i simbolini di partito. E tutto ciò è contenuto in questo libello: illuminante per chi, come me, aveva già lasciato cadere il velo di Maya, sconvolgente per chi il velo di Maya preferisce tenerselo stretto.
Eppure, a ben guardare, ciò di cui parla Degrelle è sotto gli occhi di tutti coloro che abbiano un minimo di cultura generale e capacità di giudizio obiettivo. Ma la maggior parte di noi non vuol vederlo. Le coscienze sono addormentate.
Eppure, a ben guardare, ciò di cui parla Degrelle è sotto gli occhi di tutti coloro che abbiano un minimo di cultura generale e capacità di giudizio obiettivo. Ma la maggior parte di noi non vuol vederlo. Le coscienze sono addormentate.
November 7, 2021
Estou escrevendo perto de um barril enferrujado, no fundo do qual flutuam os últimos pedaços de erva da estepe suspensos em nossa água gelada. Essa pobreza, esse isolamento, nós os conhecemos porque desejamos sinceridade. E, mais do que nunca, nesta solidão onde corpos e corações se sentem invadidos pelo frio mortal, renovo meus juramentos de intransigência.
Mais do que nunca, seguirei em frente, sem ceder, sem descanso, duro com minha alma, duro com meus desejos, duro com minha juventude.
Prefiro ver dez anos de frio e abandono, do que um dia sentir minha alma esvaziada, sem seus sonhos vivos. Escrevo estas palavras sem tremer, mas, no entanto, me fazem sofrer. Na hora da falência de um mundo, são necessárias almas que podem permanecer duras e altas como penhascos rochosos, batidas em vão por ondas violentas.
.............
Em que momento será o nosso fim?
A morte passa sem responder e suas mãos estrangulam corações aleatoriamente. A metralhadora dispara, zumbe, estala ou perfura com seus dedos mortais o corpo de um jovem.
O que fazer, senão ter um coração puro, uma consideração serena para com o sacrifício oportuno, feito livremente? Se vier, nossos cílios não tremerão e partiremos com o sorriso tênue e triste das ternas lembranças que cercam nossos últimos segundos.
Se voltarmos, mesmo que o calor da vida nos faça esquecer esse hálito gelado, nossos corações terão para sempre a compostura de uma vida que não estremeceu antes da morte.
Que o destino sempre nos encontre fortes e dignos!
Mais do que nunca, seguirei em frente, sem ceder, sem descanso, duro com minha alma, duro com meus desejos, duro com minha juventude.
Prefiro ver dez anos de frio e abandono, do que um dia sentir minha alma esvaziada, sem seus sonhos vivos. Escrevo estas palavras sem tremer, mas, no entanto, me fazem sofrer. Na hora da falência de um mundo, são necessárias almas que podem permanecer duras e altas como penhascos rochosos, batidas em vão por ondas violentas.
.............
Em que momento será o nosso fim?
A morte passa sem responder e suas mãos estrangulam corações aleatoriamente. A metralhadora dispara, zumbe, estala ou perfura com seus dedos mortais o corpo de um jovem.
O que fazer, senão ter um coração puro, uma consideração serena para com o sacrifício oportuno, feito livremente? Se vier, nossos cílios não tremerão e partiremos com o sorriso tênue e triste das ternas lembranças que cercam nossos últimos segundos.
Se voltarmos, mesmo que o calor da vida nos faça esquecer esse hálito gelado, nossos corações terão para sempre a compostura de uma vida que não estremeceu antes da morte.
Que o destino sempre nos encontre fortes e dignos!
September 24, 2019
Fantastic! It gives one hope in a world in ruin.
February 24, 2023
Way more beautiful and personal than I expected going in.
August 30, 2025
This is a slim, poetic memoir of an old man looking back on his life from exile. It is not a political treatise, though Degrelle captures the beating heart of the fascist movement he fought and suffered for, for which he lost his homeland. He shares his wisdom on topics such as meaning, home, nation, childhood, aging, happiness, and war. Despite enduring the greatest tragedy of the age–the loss of the Second World War to the globalist power–Degrelle is still full of hope, not regret.
April 8, 2022
Quando Degrelle filosofeggia non mi dispiace.
Quando parla del materialismo malessere dell'umanita è grandioso. Quando fa il poeta mi fa venire il latte alle ginocchia.
Quando parla di vita e di felicità unisce con stile la praticità occidentale al pensiero buddista.
Quando parla di Dio mi infastidisce.
Leon non scrive male ma è davvero troppo aulico e alla lunga diventa insopportabile. Però ha capito la piega che avrebbe preso la società in cui viveva. Purtroppo Alcuni suoi pensieri li ho trovati scontati e banalotti. Sul serio, a tratti pare il manuale del guerriero della luce per bambini di quarta elementare. Forse potrebbe far aprire gli occhi a qualcuno, peccato che quei qualcuno non leggeranno mai questo né Altri libri che non siano le cinquanta sfumature di Harry Potter.
..Poi finisce la parte spirituale e c'è il saggio "La nostra Europa". Nonostante un'idea di base per me folle ("obbedire è una gioia perché è una forma di dono"), la sua analisi politica è lucida e acuta ("nocività delle democrazie" e "necessità di soluzioni comunitarie") e potrei sintetizzarla in: gli Usa, scudo della plutocrazia €braica, comandano il mondo, hanno eliminato tutti i valori morali e spirituali costruendo la società dei consumi e convertendo l'umanità in una molle massa materialista. Amen.
Militia tre stelle
La nostra Europa cinque.
Quando parla del materialismo malessere dell'umanita è grandioso. Quando fa il poeta mi fa venire il latte alle ginocchia.
Quando parla di vita e di felicità unisce con stile la praticità occidentale al pensiero buddista.
Quando parla di Dio mi infastidisce.
Leon non scrive male ma è davvero troppo aulico e alla lunga diventa insopportabile. Però ha capito la piega che avrebbe preso la società in cui viveva. Purtroppo Alcuni suoi pensieri li ho trovati scontati e banalotti. Sul serio, a tratti pare il manuale del guerriero della luce per bambini di quarta elementare. Forse potrebbe far aprire gli occhi a qualcuno, peccato che quei qualcuno non leggeranno mai questo né Altri libri che non siano le cinquanta sfumature di Harry Potter.
..Poi finisce la parte spirituale e c'è il saggio "La nostra Europa". Nonostante un'idea di base per me folle ("obbedire è una gioia perché è una forma di dono"), la sua analisi politica è lucida e acuta ("nocività delle democrazie" e "necessità di soluzioni comunitarie") e potrei sintetizzarla in: gli Usa, scudo della plutocrazia €braica, comandano il mondo, hanno eliminato tutti i valori morali e spirituali costruendo la società dei consumi e convertendo l'umanità in una molle massa materialista. Amen.
Militia tre stelle
La nostra Europa cinque.
May 1, 2021
A must read for any nationalist, especially us Christian ones.
July 25, 2025
Total maudlin garbage. It’s as if a couch pillow stitched with the phrase “Live Laugh Love” became sentient and attempted to rewrite Marcus Aurelius Meditations after having a “me day.” Apart from the fact that an abstract memoir is a fairly boring idea (treating your own experiences as so universal that you need not supply details), The Burning Souls reads like something your average 9th grade girl would blush at penning in a high school creative writing elective. Behold the excerpt below—
“In the icy, pale gold sky, a lark quivered. What was she thinking up there?
She shuddered, she uttered strident cries, swooning every second, clinging to the sky with a flutter of wings that passed like a lightning bolt.
She loved to love, until broken, broken with happiness, she fell like a pebble in a furrow
So does the soul soar.”
Soar. Lark. Swoon. Uttered. Shuddered. Broken. Flutter.
How can ANYONE use these words in the space of a few sentences and not feel the need to shove the business end of a 12 gauge into their stomach? I don’t care about his politics if this is considered “mature spiritual prose.”
“In the icy, pale gold sky, a lark quivered. What was she thinking up there?
She shuddered, she uttered strident cries, swooning every second, clinging to the sky with a flutter of wings that passed like a lightning bolt.
She loved to love, until broken, broken with happiness, she fell like a pebble in a furrow
So does the soul soar.”
Soar. Lark. Swoon. Uttered. Shuddered. Broken. Flutter.
How can ANYONE use these words in the space of a few sentences and not feel the need to shove the business end of a 12 gauge into their stomach? I don’t care about his politics if this is considered “mature spiritual prose.”
August 21, 2021
Not what I expected but in a good way. It is a very interesting, touching and humble book of poetry. I was expecting a more ideological bent to it however if you didn't know who wrote the book you'd be hard pressed to figure out the man's politics. Give it a try you'll like it if your into this sort of thing.
February 5, 2018
It can be read as a (very good) catholic meditation book.
October 6, 2022
Leon Degrelle gives some good information here on overcoming adversity and maintaining a personal standard. A short but worthy book.
March 1, 2024
Evocative and full of feeling. It will burn your soul.
January 24, 2024
As an Audiobook 4.5/5
A very beautiful book, on the need for constant self-discipline and the necessity of living a selfless life, of sacrifice, for true spiritual transcendence.
A very beautiful book, on the need for constant self-discipline and the necessity of living a selfless life, of sacrifice, for true spiritual transcendence.
July 28, 2021
When children say nothing, it is because they have much to say.
A poetic exploration of the mysticism of war, war as a spiritual experience. "Protestant war ethic" would be too crude of a characterization but something along those lines. Very similar to Jünger's "Combat as an inner experience". Beautiful prose.
More of a collection of notes and diary entries but this aphoristic, open-ended format fits. The scope of the issues covered is wide to say the least, but surprisingly little about politics.
The main theme is self-overcoming, self-denial, idealism in the sense of giving oneself to a cause without consideration for self-interest. As this sort of a handbook of fanaticism it would undoubtedly be of interest to an idealist of any stripe.
Bless the blows received, love those who will bring them. They are more useful to you than a thousand hearts that love you.
A poetic exploration of the mysticism of war, war as a spiritual experience. "Protestant war ethic" would be too crude of a characterization but something along those lines. Very similar to Jünger's "Combat as an inner experience". Beautiful prose.
More of a collection of notes and diary entries but this aphoristic, open-ended format fits. The scope of the issues covered is wide to say the least, but surprisingly little about politics.
The main theme is self-overcoming, self-denial, idealism in the sense of giving oneself to a cause without consideration for self-interest. As this sort of a handbook of fanaticism it would undoubtedly be of interest to an idealist of any stripe.
Bless the blows received, love those who will bring them. They are more useful to you than a thousand hearts that love you.
February 24, 2023
"It is not up to us to keep the winds from dying, or to prevent the sun from fading, but to draw strength from them while they yet live."
-Page 91, "The Burning Souls," by Leon Degrelle
I'm sure there are many who might question or even condemn the man's choices, but they cannot question his commitment to the path he chose. This is both a poetic memoir and a guide to living the essential life.
-Page 91, "The Burning Souls," by Leon Degrelle
I'm sure there are many who might question or even condemn the man's choices, but they cannot question his commitment to the path he chose. This is both a poetic memoir and a guide to living the essential life.
December 7, 2013
A surprising and interesting spiritual account.
December 9, 2020
Reflexiones sobre varios aspectos de la vida. Muy bonito, poético, perfecto para valorar lo "poco" que tenemos.
May 8, 2021
Inspiring musings from a Belgian soldier.
March 11, 2025
Baví mě, jak na banalizování narážíme všude. Jsi tohle, tak jsi tohle, šuplíky, skupiny, čím víc lidi rozdělit. S kolegou v práci jsme se nedávno bavili, jak často byli třeba lidi po válce za jejich činy během války odsuzovaní, za to a ono - ale kdoví, byl jsi v jejich botách? Měl jsi u hlavy zbraň? Chtěli ti znásilnit a pozabíjet rodinu a ty ses musel rozhodnout? Četl jsi co ti lidi říkali nebo napsali (a přemýšlel o tom)? Znáš kontext? Něco přetlumočit, protože to bylo v bedně, nebo "mi to tak řekli, protože to tak někde bylo napsaný" je dnes normou tupé ovce (nesmíme zapomínat, že historii píší vítězové(!), nebo jak ještě trefněji řekl Norm Macdonald: “It says here in this history book that luckily, the good guys have won every single time. What are the odds?). O to je zajímavější se pak dostat k figurám, jako je Léon Degrelle (dneska jsem si to jméno neustále říkal s falešně francouzským přízvukem - podle Francouzů u nerodilých mluvčích ani jiný neexistuje). Belgičan, který založil vlastní krajně pravicovou stranu Rex, která po vpádě Německa stranila okupantům a sám Degrelle se nakonec dostal až do hodnosti plukovníka v záloze (nejdřív se přidal k Wehrmachtu, poté Waffen SS), mimo jiné získal i spoustu vojenských vyznamenání. Po konci války byla strana Rex rozpuštěna a postavena mimo zákon a mnozí členové popraveni. Rovněž Léon byl odsouzen k trestu smrti, ale tou dobou už uprchl do tehdy frankistického Španělska (rovněž zajímavá historie pokud jde o průběh války), odkud ho odmítli vydat a zde pak i dožil, hlásajíc svoje pochyby o holocaustu a podporující neonacismus. 'Planoucí duše' jsou nicméně spíše takovej "talk od srdce", jak se Léon Degrelle dívá na svět a život, na všechny ty věci, který máme stejný a o kterých uvažujeme, akorát z hlavy, co se na to zase dívá trochu jinak. Dnes, z pohodlného liberálně demokratického křesla se mnohým dobře káže o tom, co je dobrý a špatný. Zároveň tím ale nechci nijak vehementně Degrella podporovat. Ale když jsem knihu doposlouchal, protože poslední dobou mi přijde, že tyhle texty fakt jinak sehnat nejde (a nebo za ně naslepo platit děsnou pálku), zapsal jsem si do mobilu budíka s krátkou poznámkou: "Zápal Léonovi nechyběl". To slovo zápal z jeho myšlenek jde cítit asi nejvíc. Zápal muže jednajícího za určitou vizí, zápal za určitou ideou, pro jejíž uskutečnění je ochotný jednat, jejíž myšlence plně věří a v jejímž pojetí jedná jako muž a mluví v ní jasně a "k věci". Někdy bych si tuhle knihu rád sehnal a v klidu přečetl. Politicky a ideologicky je to poněkud komplikovanější na odpověď, na jasné zaujmutí nějakého stanoviska, ale určitě nevidím něco, co bych nazval jako nějaké banální zlo nebo něco nepochopitelného, čemu nedokážu rozumět, právě naopak...
January 25, 2024
I will admit that I had a misunderstanding about the content matter of "The Burning Souls". I opened the book expecting a more non-fiction, auto-biographical account of his life and experience during the war. While he does touch on his experiences, one might not realize the subject he is drawing from without having some prior context of who the man was. Though the book was not a strict historical account, I soon realized the wisdom that Degrelle was trying to leave to history.
Regardless of your feelings and interpretations of WWII, I’d find it hard, if a reader was being open minded, to think of Leon Degrelle as anything less a brave, heroic soldier who strived for a higher ideal of what the purpose of life is. In his words, I felt total belief in his courage, humility, and readiness to face death with dignity. There were times where I would spend minutes rereading certain pages and even sentences and reflecting on their meaning, all from a man with a very unique role and moment in history. It often felt I was reading a piece of writing from a Christian Monk, having to remind myself that this was a memoir and not Psalms.
There were times in this book I would read the hardships and reflections from a virtuous man and felt guilt. Guilt for not embracing my own hardships and discontent to make battle with this rotten, malicious world order. Guilt in comparing my pity to a man like Degrelle, who gave every ounce of his soul, and saw his enemy triumph, yet still clenched his teeth, silenced his heart, and continued to climb.
“In the hour of a world’s bankruptcy, souls are needed which may stand hard and tall as rocky cliffs, beaten in vain by raging waves… So long as there remains a little fire in some corner of the world, all miracles of greatness remain possible.” - Standartenführer Léon Degrelle
Regardless of your feelings and interpretations of WWII, I’d find it hard, if a reader was being open minded, to think of Leon Degrelle as anything less a brave, heroic soldier who strived for a higher ideal of what the purpose of life is. In his words, I felt total belief in his courage, humility, and readiness to face death with dignity. There were times where I would spend minutes rereading certain pages and even sentences and reflecting on their meaning, all from a man with a very unique role and moment in history. It often felt I was reading a piece of writing from a Christian Monk, having to remind myself that this was a memoir and not Psalms.
There were times in this book I would read the hardships and reflections from a virtuous man and felt guilt. Guilt for not embracing my own hardships and discontent to make battle with this rotten, malicious world order. Guilt in comparing my pity to a man like Degrelle, who gave every ounce of his soul, and saw his enemy triumph, yet still clenched his teeth, silenced his heart, and continued to climb.
“In the hour of a world’s bankruptcy, souls are needed which may stand hard and tall as rocky cliffs, beaten in vain by raging waves… So long as there remains a little fire in some corner of the world, all miracles of greatness remain possible.” - Standartenführer Léon Degrelle
December 13, 2024
Let's set aside ideology and just look at this book for what it is--the poetic memoir of a man who lived a life many of us can't even imagine. Degrelle was a devout Catholic. That much is clear from some of the passages in this book. As a Belgian politician, he went against his countrymen and sided with Germany during the Second World War. He joined the German armed forces as a private and rose quickly through the ranks. After the war, he was exiled and spent the rest of his life in Spain.
Can the passion of his writing be construed as dedication to National Socialism? Perhaps, except he wasn't a National Socialist; he was a Rexist (ie Monarchist). As stated above, though, he was also devoutly religious. His point is to dedicate one's life to something worth fighting for. Worth sacrificing for. He carried the Cross with him throughout his life.
If a reader can set aside their preconceived notions, I believe they can be challenged by his observations, for example, of true manhood, of self-sacrifice on any level and in every sphere of life (including even, for example, motherhood).
Can the passion of his writing be construed as dedication to National Socialism? Perhaps, except he wasn't a National Socialist; he was a Rexist (ie Monarchist). As stated above, though, he was also devoutly religious. His point is to dedicate one's life to something worth fighting for. Worth sacrificing for. He carried the Cross with him throughout his life.
If a reader can set aside their preconceived notions, I believe they can be challenged by his observations, for example, of true manhood, of self-sacrifice on any level and in every sphere of life (including even, for example, motherhood).
March 12, 2025
Il libro più "famoso" di Degrelle insieme a
Hitler per 1000 anni
. Qui per fortuna non si parla tanto di ideologia politica né di religione, ovviamente nella maniera filtrata e perversa di Degrelle. Preso per quello che è, è una raccolta di pensieri, aforismi e riflessioni, ma irrita un certo tono pretenzioso e magniloquente che ricopre la superficialità, quando non una vera e propria banalità, dei suddetti pensieri. Come nel caso dei libri di Corneliu Zelea Codreanu, risulta ipocrita quando Degrelle parla di "amore fraterno e universale" e di compassione cristiana considerando i crimini che ha compiuto e le ideologie che appoggiato.
November 24, 2023
Poético, sapiencial, místico, cristão, íntimo e de uma enorme sensibilidade. Este livro é muitíssimo inesperado
February 28, 2024
Very stream of consciousness — some very quotable and poignant language.
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