Ornella Labriola

Ornella Labriola was born in Naples, in via Scarlatti, on ’8 July 1908, daughter of Arturo Labriola, theorist of revolutionary syndicalism and Nadezhda Skvortzòva. From a young age she was fascinated by the revolutionary ideal and, while still a teenager, she frequented the home of Amadeo Bordiga, fascinated by his radical visions of social transformation. In 1925, at just sixteen years old, he moved with his mother to Moscow. What seemed like a temporary choice instead became a permanent turning point: the Soviet Union, and in particular the Hotel Lux, a well-known refuge of international communism, became his world, his true symbolic homeland. There he met Giuseppe Rimola, known as “Micca”, a young communist delegate of the KIM (Young Communist International). An intense and tormented love story was born between the two, destined to be tragically shattered in the climate of suspicion of Stalinism. Ornella worked at the Italian migrant association as a translator and it was precisely in that context that she met Rimola, accompanying him to some textile factories where he maintained relationships with young Soviet communists. In 1931 he began his studies at the Moscow Institute of Foreign Languages, graduating first in French, then also in Russian language and literature. His educational and cultural path took place almost entirely in the Soviet Union. In 1932 he went to Paris to meet his father and on that occasion he met important figures of Italian socialism such as Filippo Turati and Pietro Nenni. However, not being able to count on his father's financial support, he returned to Moscow, where he continued his activity. Giuseppe Rimola's fate was tragically fulfilled in March 1938. At the time of his arrest on March 18, he was translating Lenin's texts on behalf of a Soviet foreign language publishing house, which had appointed him editor. At that time, he was also writing his memoirs, some humorous stories and a history of the Novara communist movement. Unfortunately, none of these writings survived: after her arrest, Ornella was forced to leave their room within 24 hours. He entrusted all the documents to his mother, but during the war, fearing the arrival of German troops in Moscow, his mother decided to destroy every trace by throwing the suitcase containing them into the fire. On July 29, 1938, Rimola was tried and sentenced to ten years in prison on charges of espionage. He was also prohibited from any contact with the outside world. From that moment he disappeared into the silence and darkness of Stalin's terror. Despite the pain, Ornella never entirely disavowed the communist ideal. His entire existence was marked by a willingness to shed light on the fate of Joseph and to understand the deep roots of that error. In 1954 he returned to Italy, but refused to enroll at the Oriental University Institute, which he considered a reactionary environment and still permeated by ex-fascist elements. Instead, he devoted himself to teaching, giving Russian language lessons at the Italy-USSR Association. Throughout her life, Ornella Labriola struggled to bring to light the truth of conduct so that past mistakes could be recognized and understood.