The Prison Notes

Trans. anonymous
Reconquista Press, 2011
128 pages

only in paperback: $20

Read Greg Johnson’s review here

Corneliu Zelea Codreanu was the founder and leader of the Legion of St. Michael the Archangel, otherwise known as the Iron Guard, in Romania between 1927 and 1938. While many of the revolutionary nationalist movements of the period are long forgotten, Codreanu’s movement continues to be studied today. The reason is because Codreanu envisioned the Legion as being not simply a political movement, but rather a knightly order in which all members were suffused with the spirit of God, self-sacrifice, and the essence of the Romanian people. This is no more evident than in his Prison Notes, which he kept after being imprisoned on false charges by the government. The Prison Notes are the testimony of a man who, while disappointed by the corruption and ill treatment he faces, remains strengthened by the power of his faith and commitment to a higher cause.

Also included in this volume are translations of all of Julius Evola’s essays on the subject of Codreanu. Evola, who met Codreanu in Bucharest shortly before his arrest, recognized in Codreanu a kindred spirit who saw profane politics only as a means toward a restoration of genuine hierarchy and aristocracy.

We have also appended a series of rarely-seen photos of the Iron Guard and Codreanu to this volume to complete the record of a movement which has withstood and transcended the test of time.

CONTENTS

The Prison Notes

Appendix 1: Articles on Codreanu and the Iron Guard by Julius Evola

An Interview with Codreanu
Nationalism and Ascesis: The Iron Guard
In the Aftermath of Codreanu’s Murder
Voices from Beyond the Grave
The Tragedy of the Romanian Iron Guard
My Meeting with Codreanu

Appendix 2: Photographs of Codreanu and the Iron Guard

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Corneliu Zelea Codreanu (1899–1938) was a Romanian nationalist and the founder and leader of the Legion of St. Michael the Archangel, otherwise known as the Iron Guard, which he led from 1927 and 1938.

only in paperback: $20