Dreams of Freedom : A Ricardo Flores Magon Reader

Along with Emiliano Zapata, Ricardo Flores Magón (b. 1874) is regarded as one of the most important figures of the Mexican revolution. Through his newspaper Regeneración, he boldly criticized the injustices of the country’s military dictatorship and worked to build the popular movement that eventually overthrew it. Exiled to the United States, Flores Magón continued to agitate for revolution in Mexico. Transcending nationalism, he also dreamed of a world free from all forms of injustice. Both the US and Mexican governments responded with harsh repression. Leavenworth Penitentiary ultimately murdered him in 1922.

This volume collects the first English translations of Flores Magón’s most important writings. A lengthy historical overview, chronology, maps, images, and bibliography provide context for his work.

"Mitchell Verter and Chaz Bufe have given us a great gift with this fascinating volume on Ricardo Flores Magón. He was a revolutionary from a very different time from our own, but today's activists will make an immediate and intense connection with his passion for social justice. This is a gift that will only grow as you pass it on to others!"—Barbara Ehrenreich, author of Nickel and Dimed and Bait and Switch

"The life, words, and ideas of Ricardo Flores Magón are as important today as they were around 100 years ago. Bravo for this wonderful book that won't let us forget those days and those heroes. Today, as always, remembering is revolutionary"—Luis Rodriguez, author of Always Running and My Name is Hunger

Ricardo Flores Magón was born in 1874 in a small Mexican village. Through his newspaper Regeneration, he boldly criticized the injustices of the country's dictatorship. Exiled to the United States, Flores Magón continued to be the most radical agitator for the Mexican Revolution and for universal liberation. Both countries responded with harsh repression. Leavenworth Penitentiary finally murdered him in 1922. Chaz Bufe has written for publication for the alternative press for a third of a century, beginning with a gig as a staff writer for "New Times Weekly" (Phoenix) in 1971. His writings have appeared in many publications. He has authored, co-authored, compiled/edited, and/or translated seven other books. Born in San German, Puerto Rico, Mitchell Cowen Verter publishes as El Libro Libre and is the translator of the bilingual edition of Ricardo Flores Magón's play Tierra y Libertad.