The term fifth column
originated
during the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939) when it was first applied by Republican
general Emilio Mola Vidal to Republican sympathizers living in the Nationalist
held capital of Madrid. As four columns of regulars under General Vidal's
command advanced upon the city, the general is said to have referred to
the Republican citizens of Madrid as his "fifth column." He believed they
would take up arms at the outset of the battle thereby opening up a second
front inside the city and destabilizing the Nationalist position. Ever
since the Spanish Civil War the terms fifth column and fifth
columnism have been used to refer to any cadre that launches attacks
from within the enemies own ranks.
This is the history that inspired the founding
of The Fifth Column Review. Despite our namesake's origins The
Fifth Column Review does not exist to endorse or promote war or any
form of government past, present, or future. The name has been chosen simply
for its rich thematic significance to what we hope we will accomplish as
twenty-first century publishers of fiction and poetry. One must remember
that publishers are the watchmen at the gates of Literature—an arbitrary
garrison at best—and while this century, like all centuries, has witnessed
a great revolution in the politics that drive the creation, publication,
and study of literature, the revolution has merely placed the keys to the
gate in hands of different keepers, guardians who are neither less prejudiced
nor more altruistic than those preceding them. New and arguably even more
overt political agendas now control the creation, dissemination, and study
of literature, and writing that does not fit one of these agendas is put
at a disadvantage by the change.
At The Fifth Column Review we believe
that artistic vision, story, and character, regardless of the political
agendas driving (or not driving) these things, are what literature is all
about. We believe that these elements not political agendas and market
share should govern the creation, propagation, and study of literature;
creating a venue for writers and readers who share this view seemed the
best way to form up our ranks.
We are a voice in the crowd, a wink in the
street, a cry at the gate...we are The Fifth Column Review.
Sincerely,
The Editor
