Memoirs of a Revolutionist

1842 - 1921

I take great pride in the fact that I read a lot, even if most of what I read is fluff fantasy. At least I try to keep the mind engaged, and read authors who are influenced by great literature. With my timeline agenda I have tried to incorporate original material that will a) be something I've never read (or can't remember very well at all), b) fit in or enhance the reading of other works in the same genre or otherwise directly influenced by my reading material, and/or c) be entertaining.

I have no shame in being proud when my criteria occasionally leads me to read something that may be perceived by others as lofty reading material. I may be seen carrying around a "classic", perhaps, or a tome one might expect to be read by English Lit professors. Heck, pretty much any non-fiction outside of the "Dummies Guide to..." and I swell with preconceived pride at being smart and engaged enough to be reading something more important than Harry Potter.

Memoirs of a Revolutionist is the highlight, perhaps, of my career as a wannabee-intellectual. I have to come clean and admit that this is one of the hardest books I've struggled through since I sat down to read the bible cover to cover, and I did eventually give up when the library told me I couldn't renew it any longer. I am sure I was just getting to the good part, too.

The autobiography of Peter Kropotkin, most of the book details just how miserable it was to live in Russia at the turn of the century. Many parts of the book strain believability, simply in terms of how different things were a hundred years ago, and how interesting Kropotkin's life was.

I'm really not sure why Kropotkin made it onto my reading list. Apparently he is referenced in something I read and I felt compelled to slap his name onto the timeline. Modern day activist poets remember Kropotkin less as a scientist or writer but chiefly as the "Anarchist Prince". So I'm guessing this may have been a Grant Morrison-Invisibles reference- more on that later!

Peter Kroptkin was a cool dude. He did a lot of stuff and is probably undeservedly unrecognized for a lot of it. His life was pretty interesting overall, but.... I can't recommend this book to anyone unless you are a student of anarcho-communism, or you would like something pretentious looking to walk around with and pretend to read in coffeee shops.

On my next blog entry we will travel to the land of Oz!