THE LETTERS OF ROSA LUXEMBURG
By Rosa Luxemburg
Edited by Georg Adler, Peter Hudis, and Annelies Laschitza
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NOW AVAILABLE IN PAPERBACK
http://www.versobooks.com/books/1441-the-letters-of-rosa-luxemburg
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“One cannot read the writings of Rosa Luxemburg, even at this distance, without an acute yet mournful awareness of what Perry Anderson once termed ‘the history of possibility.’”– Christopher Hitchens, ATLANTIC
“Transports us directly into the private world of a woman who has never lost her inspirational power as an original thinker and courageous activist … [and] reveals that the woman behind the mythic figure was also a compassionate, teasing, witty human being.” – Sheila Rowbotham, GUARDIAN
“She emerges as one of the most emotionally intelligent socialists in modern history, a radical of luminous dimension whose intellect is informed by sensibility, and whose largeness of spirit places her in the company of the truly impressive.”
– Vivian Gornick, NATION
“[W]onderful ... The self-portrait in these pages is that of a professional revolutionary whose vocation is, if you'll pardon the expression, spiritual. Reading ... this book, I could not help falling in love with you, dear Rosa.”– Scott McLemee, BOOKFORUM
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Letters from the heroic German revolutionary to her comrades, friends and lovers
The most comprehensive collection of letters by Rosa Luxemburg ever published in English, this book includes 190 letters written to leading figures in the European and international labor and socialist movements—Leo Jogiches, Karl Kautsky, Clara Zetkin and Karl Liebknecht—who were among her closest friends, lovers and colleagues. Much of this correspondence appears for the first time in English translation; all of it helps to illuminate the inner life of this iconic revolutionary, who was at once an economic and social theorist, a political activist and a lyrical stylist. Her political concerns are revealed alongside her personal struggles within a socialist movement that was often hostile to independently minded women. This collection will provide readers with a newer and deeper appreciation of Luxemburg as a writer and historical figure.
ALSO AVAILABLE: THE COMPLETE WORKS OF ROSA LUXEMBURG VOLUME 1 http://www.versobooks.com/books/1168-the-complete-works-of-rosa-luxemburg-volume-1
- part of our series THE COMPLETE WORKS OF ROSA LUXEMBURGhttp://www.versobooks.com/series_collections/20-the-complete-works-of-rosa-luxemburg
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“Paced almost like a novel, the 28 years covered by this collection pass by almost too quickly.”– Joel Schalit, JEWISH DAILY FORWARD
“This huge project is long overdue. Luxemburg’s correspondence reveals an extraordinary range and breadth of concerns and interests” – TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT
“Intrepid, incorruptible, passionate and gentle. Imagine as you read between the lines of what she wrote, the expression of her eyes. She loved workers and birds. She danced with a limp. Everything about her fascinates and rings true. One of the immortals.”– JOHN BERGER
“THE LETTERS OF ROSA LUXEMBURG come as near as anything to the way this extraordinary woman talked with loved ones and friend ... a wonderfully compelling record, both poignant and timely.”
– OBSERVER
“[Rosa] Luxemburg expressed unfailing passion in her letters ... This volume gives personal insight into a remarkable (and controversial) woman and adds meaningful context to any study of early Western socialism.”– PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
“Useful and exciting.”– Emily Witt, NEW YORK OBSERVER
“Fascinating ... these passionate letters, which commemorate the 140th anniversary of Luxemburg’s birth, show the living, breathing and loving woman behind the legend of 'Red Rosa.'”
– Irene Gammel, TORONTO GLOBE & MAIL
“[Rosa Luxemburg's] letters, with all their exquisite details, read as well as any novel ... Personal or political [they] are beautiful, powerful, and succinct.”
– Kaye Cain-Nielsen, IDIOM
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Rosa Luxemburg (1871-1919) was a Polish-born Jewish revolutionary and one of the greatest theoretical minds of the European socialist movement. An activist in Germany and Poland, the author of numerous classic works, she participated in the founding of the German Communist Party and the Spartacist insurrection in Berlin in 1919. She was assassinated in January of that year and has become a hero of socialist, communist and feminist movements around the world.
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Paperback / ISBN: 9781781681077 / $29.95 / £19.99 / $34.95CAN / 656 pages
Hardback / ISBN: 9781844674534 / $39.95 / £25.99 / $50.00CAN / 656 pages
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For more information on THE LETTERS OF ROSA LUXEMBURG or to buy the book visit: http://www.versobooks.com/books/1441-the-letters-of-rosa-luxemburg
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