Adventures in Marxism [Hardcover]

Marshall Berman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1999

A celebration of Marxism's potential for the 21st Century, by the esteemed author of All That is Solid Melts into Air.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"Marxism has been part of me for all my life," says Marshall Berman. "Late in my fifties, I'm still learning and sorting out how." The essays in Adventures in Marxism, which span from a portion of Berman's 1963 Oxford thesis (supervised by Isaiah Berlin) to a reconsideration of the Communist Manifesto on its sesquicentennial in 1998, are a splendid presentation of that "learning and sorting." The book's not only about Marx, mind you--Berman also considers those who have followed in Marx's footsteps, including Edmund Wilson, Georg Lukacs, Meyer Schapiro, and Walter Benjamin (as well as an interesting chapter on Studs Terkel's Working). And, too, there are marvelous passages in which Berman writes about the workers around him in the streets of New York. But none of this, perhaps, would have been possible if a young Berman hadn't tracked down a copy of Marx's Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts of 1844, a collection of spirited essays that for years influenced him far more than the Manifesto or Capital. (Though he would eventually rediscover the power of the Manifesto, which "helped me see how the bad things and the good things in the world could spring from the same place, how suffering could be a source of growth and joy, how radical thought could escape doldrums and dualisms and gather vision and energy for better times.") Berman's essays show how the collapse of communist tyrannies does not negate the potential for "Marxist humanism" to offer a progressive response to globalization; his enthusiasm for such a project makes the essays as delightful to read as they are informative.

From Publishers Weekly

When Verso published its new edition of The Communist Manifesto last year, intellectuals of all stripes vied with one another to sing its praises. As this unusual collection of essays shows, however, Berman was there way before most of them. Berman (All That Is Solid Melts into Air), who teaches at the City University of New York, has been a fixture of the New Left for so long he's started calling it the "Used Left." The pieces included here, many of which were first published in journals such as the Nation and the New York Times Book Review, form a rich inquiry into the ambiguities of Marxist thought, attending to the skeptical and self-critical tendencies of Marx himself. Reviews of books from the likes of Studs Terkel and Edmund Wilson argue for a vibrant leftist politics that embraces the sexy, exuberant side of intellectual activity. Appraisals of the lives and works of Marx, Luk cs and Walter Benjamin flesh out Berman's critical but affirmative history of the New Left. Avoiding the didactic voice often associated with Marxist writings, Berman rustles joyfully through the ideas and texts that constitute the core literature of Marxist humanism (Marxism without tanks). Still, readers should be advised that close readings of Capital abound, notably in a chapter taken from Berman's 1963 Oxford thesis, written under the supervision of Isaiah Berlin. Ultimately, Berman advocates what Marx called "practical-critical activity," or the act of continually striving to improve upon one's life and, by extension, the world. This collectionAthough unfortunately a piecemeal collection rather than a sustained argumentAcould easily qualify as just such an enterprise.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Verso (September 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 185984734X
• ISBN-13: 978-1859847343
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,552,769 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Berman Shines, February 6, 2000

By 

D. Coleman (Chapel Hill, NC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Adventures in Marxism (Hardcover)

Rarely does an author combine such comprehensive knowledge of his subject and such deep love of it with the language to convey both. A masterpiece. Forcefully conveys why the ideas of Karl Marx remain current in the 21st century and how they can bring inspiration to those who still aspire to a society in which 'the free development of each is condition of the free development of all."

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fun romp, September 19, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Adventures in Marxism (Hardcover)

Berman engages the reader through a fun romp through a variety of essays that span 50 years. A dialogue between Arthur Miller and the young Marx interplaying throughout the streets of New York City and discussions of modernity. Berman is brilliant at illuminating the culture which continues to feed a spirit of resistance, proving that the New Left, never really died but was crowded out by the New Right. Lays the basis for revitalized discourse for the next left.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars good :), May 19, 2000

By 

Jerry K (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Adventures in Marxism (Hardcover)

I bought this hoping it'd be a good starting point on learning about Marx. Was not dissapointed here. I also thought, thanks to the cartoon cover, the book would be an easy read. But nope, this youngster had some trouble with Berman's style of writing! :(

Oh yea, a correction.. many reviews say Berman was giving away copies fo the Communist Manifesto to his friends and family as a youngster. This is not true... he was giving away Marx's Philosophical Manuscripts of 1844. Not that this is really relevant to why or why you should not check this book out... *anticipates a lot of "No, this review was not helpful" marks*