Icons of the Left: Benjamin and Eisenstein, Picasso and Kafka after the Fall of Communism [Hardcover]

Otto Karl Werckmeister (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1999 | ISBN-10: 0226893553 | ISBN-13: 978-0226893556 | Edition: 1

In his new book, art historian O. K. Werckmeister advances a critique of Marxist culture in capitalist society.
Focusing on some of the most celebrated instances of traditional "Western Marxism," Werckmeister shows how such "icons of the Left" have been progressively detached from their political roots in communist activism to the safe distance of utopian or revolutionary speculations. He assesses some recent critiques of "Western Marxism" in popular culture such as Soderbergh's film Kafka, pointing out the historic fallacies that underlie such wholesale repudiations. With this analysis, Werckmeister seeks to clear the ground for a coherent cultural policy of the Left that responds to the continuing crisis of society.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: German

Product Details

• Hardcover: 196 pages
• Publisher: University Of Chicago Press; 1 edition (April 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0226893553
• ISBN-13: 978-0226893556
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,339,462 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

0 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars and a rather ignorant reader in Berkeley, at that, June 23, 2003

By 

Milantyus "milan3" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Icons of the Left: Benjamin and Eisenstein, Picasso and Kafka after the Fall of Communism (Paperback)

I can't judge this book, since I haven't read it. I do know, however, that Werkmeister, whatever one thinks of his politics or his scholarship, is hardly a "typical bourgeois academic." a life that early on encountered first-hand both Nazism and communism guaranteed that. in any event, self-styled anti-intellectuals are among the few things even more tiresome than blinkered academics.

0 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars and a rather ignorant reader in Berkeley, at that, June 23, 2003

By 

Milantyus "milan3" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Icons of the Left: Benjamin and Eisenstein, Picasso and Kafka after the Fall of Communism (Paperback)

I can't judge this book, since I haven't read it. I do know, however, that Werkmeister, whatever one thinks of his politics or his scholarship, is hardly a "typical bourgeois academic." a life that early on encountered first-hand both Nazism and communism guaranteed that. in any event, self-styled anti-intellectuals are among the few things even more tiresome than blinkered academics.