The Responsibility of Intellectuals

About this book

This is a book that will engage students and scholars of U.S. literature and radicalism, as well as political activists in the labor, antiracist, peace, and socialist movements. It brings together many of Alan M. Wald's most influential and original essays of the last decade on Marxist writers and intellectuals. A richly provocative inquiry into the antinomies of cultural radicalism, the collection is distinguished by Wald's characteristic blend of original, meticulous research with lucid, incisive theory. These essays center on Wald's efforts to critically assess what remains recuperable in the traditions of "committed" radical cultural workers. The selections include biographical sketches of twentieth-century activist writers, artists, and intellectuals; the analysis of radical fiction, poetry, and works of criticism; the critique of various Marxist theories of cultural policy and practice; a review of contemporary debates about racism and culture; and several searching explorations of the ambiguities and challenges of left-wing political commitment in our time.