Marx's Das Kapital: A Biography (Books That Changed the World) - Softcover

Wheen, Francis

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0802143946 ISBN 13: 9780802143945

Publisher: Grove Press, 2008

Synopsis

In vivid detail, Francis Wheen tells the story of Das Kapital and Karl Marx’s twenty-year struggle to complete his unfinished masterpiece. Born in a two-room flat in London’s Soho amid political squabbles and personal tragedy, the first volume of Das Kapital was published in 1867, to muted praise. But after Marx’s death, the book went on to influence thinkers, writers, and revolutionaries, from George Bernard Shaw to V. I. Lenin, changing the direction of twentieth-century history. Wheen’s captivating, accessible book shows that, far from being a dry economic treatise, Das Kapital is like a vast Gothic novel whose heroes are enslaved by the monster they created: capitalism. Furthermore, Wheen argues, as long as capitalism endures, Das Kapital demands to be read and understood.

About this title

About the Author

Francis Wheen, an author and journalist, was named Columnist of the Year for his contributions to the Guardian.

From AudioFile

The titles that make up the Books That Changed the World series might be called Òlibrographies,Ó since they tell the life story of historyÕs most influential tomes. Karl MarxÕs DAS KAPITAL, like other books in the series, may have been read by relatively few, but many of its disciples have had wide influence. British narrator Simon Vance has an appropriately erudite tone for this material. It says something about the impenetrability of MarxÕs masterwork that even the brief summary is boring, but the later sections on how the book influenced revolutionaries (especially in Russia) is far more interesting and relevant for modern listeners. VanceÕs warm voice and steady pacing help listeners follow what can be a difficult text. D.B. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Edition details

• Publisher: Grove Press
• Publication date: 2008
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0802143946
• ISBN 13: 9780802143945
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 144