First Published: People’s Canada Daily News, Vol 6, No.11, January 30, 1976
Transcription, Editing and Markup: Malcolm and Paul Saba
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In January, 1975, Alive magazine and Literature and Ideology appeared together in a single publication. An editorial in the same issue announced that the two publications were being consolidated in order to concentrate the struggle on the cultural front. Literature and Ideology accepted this arrangement because we genuinely believed in building the unity of the anti-imperialist forces. Steps were put in motion to formalise this new unity and to establish a formal editorial board.
This editorial board began its activities in earnest by October, 1975, and it was decided at that time to produce an issue of Alive magazine: Literature and Ideology containing a summation of the work of Alive and a summation of the work of Literature and Ideology. It was agreed that this summation was to be presented for approval to the forthcoming conference of the Canadian Student Movement to be held under the name of Culture of World Revolution. At this conference, decisions were to be taken as to whether to continue Alive magazine: Literature and Ideology and to take whatever steps were necessary to consolidate the magazine.
The work of summation was carried out and the conference was held in Montreal from December 29 to January 3. Discussion took place on cultural questions and on the question of Alive magazine and Literature and Ideology. However, in the course of the completion of this work, those connected with Alive magazinedropped out of the process. Literature and Ideology therefore decided at this time not to own the tradition of Alive magazine since the tradition of Alive magazine would not be of much consequence to our future work.
Accordingly, Literature and Ideology issued an advertisement in November 10-15, 1975 issue of People’s Canada Daily News announcing the publication of issue Number Nineteen of Literature and Ideology sometime in the future. Plans were subsequently changed, however, to concentrate on the publication of the collection of revolutionary literature entitled We are the Heirs of Norman Bethune as a contribution to the organising of the Culture of Worid Revolution conference.
During the course of discussions, the summation of our work and the proceedings of the conference, it was decided to rebegin Literature and Ideology as a quarterly under the new title of New Literature and Ideology.
People who are still confused about the question of whether Literature and Ideology and Alive magazine are consolidated in a single publication should face the facts of material life. Those facts are that those connected with Alive magazine did not wish to consolidate our work, and thus the two magazines are separate publications.