John Henry Mackay (1864-1933) wrote in a variety of styles. This volume of his shorter fiction contains twenty-five stories, ranging in length from one page to the longer novella. In this range, it is essentially complete. The themes also vary considerably, for Mackay did not like to repeat himself. Nevertheless, as might be expected from the biographer of the egoist philosopher Max Stirner, they often illustrate strong individuals. Such are, for example, the protagonists of The Sybarite and Herculean Triflings. Other stories probe the foibles of human nature; in this category are Then He Suddenly Remembered and The Voice. A surprising number of stories detail the carrying out of criminal schemessurprising because Mackay was the most honest of individuals. This is seen in The Stronger and The Great Coup. The longest of these stories, The Innocent, begins with a murder that is later solved. But it is not a murder mystery; rather, it is the story of a transformation (the subtitle), the transformation of an extraordinary, if recognizable, personality into an even more extraordinary and unexpected personality. First published in 1931, the setting gives a fascinating picture of life in Berlin at that time. It is also pioneering in including homosexual characters, whose homosexuality does not form the problem of the story, but who are simply there as part of the plot. This would not become usual for several decades. But that is not the most memorable part of this unusual story, which is perhaps Mackays delicious sarcasm in his portrait of the Great Poet of Germany. Though John Henry Mackay is best known as an anarchist propagandist, this volume is, all together, an excellent introduction to his work. Here, in miniature, are themes expressed at greater length in his novels and lyrically in his poetry. Critics often read his anarchist propagandaparticularly the poemsas literature and unjustly judged him by them. He saw the stories in this volume as a part of his literary legacy, on which he wanted to be judged. They appear here for the first time in English.
John Henry Mackay (1864-1933) wrote in a variety of styles. This volume of his shorter fiction contains twenty-five stories, ranging in length from one page to the longer novella. In this range, it is essentially complete. The themes also vary considerably, for Mackay did not like to repeat himself. Nevertheless, as might be expected from the biographer of the egoist philosopher Max Stirner, they often illustrate strong individuals. Such are, for example, the protagonists of "The Sybarite" and "Herculean Triflings." Other stories probe the foibles of human nature; in this category are "Then He Suddenly Remembered" and "The Voice." A surprising number of stories detail the carrying out of criminal schemes surprising because Mackay was the most honest of individuals. This is seen in "The Stronger" and "The Great Coup." The longest of these stories, "The Innocent," begins with a murder that is later solved. But it is not a murder mystery; rather, it is "the story of a transformation" (the subtitle), the transformation of an extraordinary, if recognizable, personality into an even more extraordinary and unexpected personality. First published in 1931, the setting gives a fascinating picture of life in Berlin at that time. It is also pioneering in including homosexual characters, whose homosexuality does not form the "problem" of the story, but who are simply there as part of the plot. This would not become usual for several decades. But that is not the most memorable part of this unusual story, which is perhaps Mackay's delicious sarcasm in his portrait of the Great Poet of Germany. Though John Henry Mackay is best known as an anarchist propagandist, this volume is, all together, an excellent introduction to his work. Here, in miniature, are themes expressed at greater length in his novels and lyrically in his poetry. Critics often read his anarchist propaganda particularly the poems as literature and unjustly judged him by them. He saw the stories in this volume as a part of his literary legacy, on which he wanted to be judged. They appear here for the first time in English.
Shortly before his death in 1933, John Henry Mackay summed up his life and work in his final book, Summing Up—here in English for the first time with annotations by the translator, Hubert Kennedy. Mackay insisted that this book is not an autobiography or a memoirs—but it is the closest he came to either. In it he looks back on a long life of successes and—alas—mostly failures. But he has no regrets, for he remained true to himself and his early-gained vision of individualist anarchism. Although Mackay deliberately did not name persons here, many of those names and much other valuable information have been supplied by the editor, thus bringing us closer to the times recalled by the aging poet and propagandist. In a book written mostly in aphorisms, he sums up his life and work, his literary and political views, and—one year before the Nazi assumption of power in Germany—predicts the future influence of communism from the Soviet Union. This volume also includes Dear Tucker, Mackay’s letters to his American anarchist friend Benjamin R. Tucker, written in English since Tucker did not read German. Although one-sided—the letters from Tucker to Mackay were destroyed—the correspondence gives evidence of a life-long, warm friendship between the leading representatives of individualist anarchism in Germany and America respectively. The letters have been supplied with notes that identity the many persons mentioned in them, thus helping to place them historically. Of particular interest is the insight they give into Mackay’s literary struggle, under the pseudonym Sagitta, to promote the cause of love between men and boys. The letters reveal the ruthless opposition of the state in a classic example of the use of raw power to crush individual liberty. Together, Summing Up and Dear Tucker give us unexpected insights into the life and writings of John Henry Mackay. They help us better appreciate this Scotch-German lyricist, novelist, biographer, and anarchist propagandist whose writings are indeed so various that they escape classification.
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This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
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