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MASKS OF ANARCHY: THE STORY OF A RADICAL POEM, FROM PERCY SHELLEY TO THE TRIANGLE FACTORY FIRE
by Michael Demson
illustrated by Summer McClinton
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AVAILABLE NOW
Published to coincide with the anniversary of the Peterloo Massacre, 16 August
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To mark the anniversary of the pivotal Peterloo Massacre, which took place almost two centuries ago on the 16th August, Verso are giving away three copies of Michael Demson's brilliant graphic novel: http://www.versobooks.com/blogs/1376-competition-calling-all-aspiring-political-poets
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A graphic history of a poem that became an inspiration to immigrant workers in New York
MASKS OF ANARCHY tells the extraordinary story of Percy Shelley’s poem “The Masque of Anarchy,” from its conception in Italy and suppression in England to the moment it became a catalyst for protest among New York City workers a century later.
Shelley penned the poem in 1819, after hearing of the Peterloo Massacre, where British cavalry charged peaceful political demonstrators near Manchester. His words would later inspire figures as wide-ranging as Henry David Thoreau and Mahatma Gandhi—and also Pauline Newman, the woman the New York Times called the “New Joan of Arc” in 1907. Newman was a Jewish immigrant who worked in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, and came to be a leading organizer—and the first female organizer—of one of America’s most powerful unions, the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union. As she marched with tens, sometimes hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers in the streets, Shelley’s poem never ceased to inspire her.
“Shake your chains to earth like dew,” it implores. “Ye are many—they are few.”
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“Absorb these words and pictures. Read them carefully. This is your history on the verge of oblivion. An unbroken thread of labor activism through the centuries, across oceans, is skillfully woven together here. Art and activism are the warp and woof of this unforgettable story: allow it to seep deeply into your soul and inspire you.” – Eric Drooker, author of FLOOD! A NOVEL IN PICTURES
“With spectacular panache, Demson and McClinton weave together two passionate tales across the ages that come together to transform the world. An inspirational testament to the longevity and power of poetry.” – Kenneth Goldsmith, author of UNCREATIVE WRITING, founder of UBUWEB, and the Museum of Modern Art's 2013 Poet Laureate
“The historical scholarship is impressive” – PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
“It’s a fascinating book for all sorts of reasons, not least its portrayal of America’s ongoing antipathy toward immigrants, which, of course, remains very much in the news.” – LA TIMES
“A stunning yet nuanced story… In collaboration with talented illustrator Summer McClinton this short graphic novel reaches deep within one's sense of humanness.” – SWANS COMMENTARY
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Paperback Original / ISBN: 9781781680988 / $16.95 / £9.99 / $18.95CAN / 128 pages
For more information on MASKS OF ANARCHY: THE STORY OF A RADICAL POEM, FROM PERCY SHELLEY TO THE TRIANGLE FACTORY FIRE or to buy the book visit: http://www.versobooks.com/books/1434-masks-of-anarchy
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