Testimony of Guillermo Vignote Mignorance, Interview with Jessica Cordova and Jodi Eisenberg; June 27, 2009
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Asociación de Ex-presos y Represaliados Políticos Asociación para la Recuperación de la Memoria Histórica Federación Estatal de Foros por la Memoria Cordova, Jessica Eisenberg, Jodi University of California, San Diego Vignote Mignorance, Guillermo
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Vignote Mignorance, Guillermo
Description
Guillermo Vignote Mignorance was born in Madrid in 1934. Guillermo recounts that his parents were political activists who met in the Juventudes Socialistas Unificadas (Unified Socialist Youth) and were only married a short time. His father was a doctor and fled from Spain on the last boat to depart from Alicante, an important site of evacuation during the Civil War. Guillermo describes the poverty of his early years. His mother, a divorced woman with few work options, supported him by managing a guesthouse where they resided with six other families sharing one bathroom and one kitchen. His mother was part of the Communist Party of Spain (PCE) and, as a result of her militancy, was detained for two or three years during his adolescence. Guillermo notes that his uncle and grandfather were both imprisoned for their political activities and his great uncle spent fourteen years in prison. Guillermo explains that in the early 1960s he reconnected with his father by chance, as they were both working as doctors in Morocco. His father had remarried and Guillermo's mother and his father's new wife became life-long friends, living together after his father's death. Guillermo narrates how he met his wife, their courtship, marriage, and experiences raising their four children during the dictatorship. Guillermo discusses his militancy in the PCE and his perspectives on the current political climate Guillermo Vignote Mignorance nació en Madrid en 1934. Guillermo recuenta que sus padres se conocieron mientras militaban en las Juventudes Socialistas Unificadas y estuvieron casados por corto tiempo. Su padre era médico y huyó de España en el último barco que salió de Alicante, un sitio de evacuación importante durante la Guerra Civil. Guillermo describe la pobreza de su niñez. Relata que su madre, una mujer divorciada con pocas opciones de empleo, trabajaba dirigiendo el albergue donde vivían con otras seis familias compartiendo un baño y una cocina. Su madre militaba en el Partido Comunista de España (PCE) y, a raíz de esto, estuvo encarcelada por dos o tres años durante la adolescencia de Guillermo. Su tío y su abuelo también fueron detenidos por sus actividades políticas y su tío abuelo estuvo encarcelado por catorce años. Guillermo explica que a comienzos de los años sesenta se reconectó con su padre por casualidad, ya que ambos estaban trabajando como médicos en Marruecos. Su padre se había vuelto a casar y la madre de Guillermo y la nueva esposa de su padre se hicieron buenas amigas, viviendo juntas después de que su padre murió. Guillermo narra cómo conoció a su esposa, su relación de cortejo, su casamiento, y sus experiencias criando a sus cuatro hijos durante la dictadura. Guillermo habla de su militancia en el PCE y da su perspectiva sobre el clima político actual. Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego, La Jolla, 92093-0175 (https://lib.ucsd.edu/sca) Guillermo Vignote Mignorance's testimony was recorded in a relative's apartment in Granada Interviews in Spanish Testimony of the Spanish Civil War and the Francoist dictatorship Vignote Mignorance, Guillermo. Testimony of the Spanish Civil War and the Francoist Dictatorship. University of California, San Diego, 2009 Granada, Spain :, Spanish Civil War Memory Project, 2009
Type
moving image
Format
2 video files : digital, sound, color
Identifier
ark:/20775/bb08885664
Language
Spanish
Subject
Oral history History Nonfiction films Interviews Communism Civil War (Spain : 1936-1939) Personal narratives-Spanish Juventudes Socialistas Unificadas Partido Comunista de España Madrid (Spain) Spain
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