good anarchist and left-wing fiction writers?

[strung out]

preferably ones who use their political perspectives to inform their creative ideas.

i know china mieville is a trot, and makes his leanings fairly obvious in his books. not actually read anything of his yet, though got a couple on the list. then there's most of brecht's theatre where he often wrote from his marxist perspective.

any more worth checking out? ideally sci-fi/fantasy, but don't let that stop you contributing to the thread with any other suggestions.

 

[Casually Red]

Isak, a science fiction one by Roslyn Fuller . She brought it to a couple of anarchist bookfairs in Dublin and Belfast from what I remember .

Today’s discussion about the causes and effects of terrorism
– transferred to a world of the future.

The encounter of two very different characters, one a terrorist,
the other a bureaucrat - the one ruthless yet likeable, the other
distant yet thoughtful.

A fast-paced pursuit across the galaxy, which shall lead both to
the boundaries of their convictions. An impressionist journey
through one of the most controversial issues of all time which
leaves all questions open yet answers all of them.

http://www.irishwritersexchange.com/books.html


Sub Commandante Marcos writes detecive novels as well . Bought one but someone nicked it so i dont know if its any good or not .

 

[rekil]

Ken MacLeod, but too much nonsense about 'anarcho-capitalism' for my liking.

 

[discokermit]

victor serge wrote fiction. the case of comrade tulayev is fantastic.

 

[strung out]

i was browsing the bookshelves in the uni library the other day and found a big book on soviet era sci-fi actually. apprently it's a fairly large genre, though some of the most famous authors, such as zamyatin pretty much rejected communism. there's a short article here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_science_fiction_and_fantasy#Soviet_science_fiction

has anyone read any of the Noon Universe novels by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky?

 

[Captain Hurrah]

It's not great, a minor curiosity only, but you might be interested in Aelita, or the Decline of Mars by Alexei Tolstoy (who wrote that death ray book too). It's about two men from the Soviet Union who travel to Mars on a rocket, and join a failed rebellion of slaves. It's the one that was made into that famous silent film by Yakov Protazanov (The Forty-First), the sets and designs of which inspired the Flash Gordon series in the US, but the ending is changed and they succeed in creating a Martian Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

 

[imposs1904]

victor serge wrote fiction. the case of comrade tulayev is fantastic.

+1

His best novel.

 

[chazegee]

I'll say Kurt, and also DJ, at lest their onions were (in)formed by real war. And Jawell while we at it.

 

[chazegee]

JD I should say.

 

[DotCommunist]

Ken MacLeod, but too much nonsense about 'anarcho-capitalism' for my liking.

yes and yes

Ursula Le Guin as well. weird buddhist-anarchist but writes very well. TYhe ones who walk away from Omelas is a great shrt.

But I loves the Wizard of Earthsea

 

[DotCommunist]

I'll say Kurt, and also DJ, at lest their onions were (in)formed by real war. And Jawell while we at it.

vonnegut is a sci fi author it is OK for lit snobs to like.

Slaughterhouse 5 is still a good book though.

 

[stupid dogbot]

Ken MacLeod, but too much nonsense about 'anarcho-capitalism' for my liking.

And whilst some of the books are decent, several of them are dull as fuck.

 

[krtek a houby]

vonnegut is a sci fi author it is OK for lit snobs to like.

Slaughterhouse 5 is still a good book though.

Led me to read Theodore Sturgeon's More than Human; awesome.

Is it left leaning/anarcho cobblers? Haven't a clue. I just enjoy a good yarn...

 

[fogbat]

Isak, a science fiction one by Roslyn Fuller . She brought it to a couple of anarchist bookfairs in Dublin and Belfast from what I remember .

Today’s discussion about the causes and effects of terrorism
– transferred to a world of the future.

The encounter of two very different characters, one a terrorist,
the other a bureaucrat - the one ruthless yet likeable, the other
distant yet thoughtful.

A fast-paced pursuit across the galaxy, which shall lead both to
the boundaries of their convictions. An impressionist journey
through one of the most controversial issues of all time which
leaves all questions open yet answers all of them.

http://www.irishwritersexchange.com/books.html


Sub Commandante Marcos writes detecive novels as well . Bought one but someone nicked it so i dont know if its any good or not .

That's a superb domain name.

 

[Santino]

Surely the Culture is a communist utopia?

 

[Captain Hurrah]

That's a superb domain name.

 

[yield]

Mythmakers & Lawbreakers: Anarchist Writers on Fiction

vonnegut is a sci fi author it is OK for lit snobs to like.

Slaughterhouse 5 is still a good book though.

Have you read Sirens of Titan? </lit snob>

 

[strung out]

vonnegut is a sci fi author it is OK for lit snobs to like.

Slaughterhouse 5 is still a good book though.

i read slaughterhouse 5 for the first time a couple of weeks back. really enjoyed it, but part of me was thinking at the end whether it's even sci-fi really. i thought it was certainly left open to interpretation as to whether the main character was just bonkers. anyway, yeah, vonnegut is a good shout.

 

[strung out]

Surely the Culture is a communist utopia?

you got any idea what banks' own politics are? curious to see how far the culture books are informed by his own political viewpoints.

 

[stupid dogbot]

There's a fair bit of left(ish) theorising in Richard Morgan. Less anarchist, more made-up, but in Market Forces there's a lot of discussion of corporate policy versus the people and so on.

 

[DotCommunist]

Mythmakers & Lawbreakers: Anarchist Writers on Fiction



Have you read Sirens of Titan? </lit snob>

I've not, and I've been awaiting the online text of that linked book for ages

e2a get in!


http://www.tangledwilderness.org/?p=301

 

[gsv]

Attack! Books were certainly anti-authoritarian. Won't comment whether they were any "good" but I read Vatican Bloodbath and it was definitely good fun.

Their original "anti-mission statement" is utterly

GS(v)

 

[Dillinger4]

Does it have to be sci-fi?

 

[jannerboyuk]

you got any idea what banks' own politics are? curious to see how far the culture books are informed by his own political viewpoints.

Out and out lefty i think. There is one culture book where the main character comes to earth and although it reflects on the issue of individualism in a socialist future he has his hero say how he couldn't wait for the earth to realise the future was the deepest red they could posibly imagine. Think it was an early one though so he might have shifted since then.

 

[fiannanahalba]

If you are looking for excellent left wing writers of fiction try any writer for Socialist Worker and not just China M or Michael Rosen either.. Ex WRP members tend to have the Science Fiction market cornered.

 

[Fedayn]

you got any idea what banks' own politics are? curious to see how far the culture books are informed by his own political viewpoints.

Banks was a member/supporter of the SSP. He also said he'd rather live in a socialist Britain than a simply independent Scotland.

 

[fiannanahalba]

Tight cunt Banks, never gave the SSP a cent. Brit unionist as well.

 

[Fedayn]

Tight cunt Banks, never gave the SSP a cent. Brit unionist as well.

He did, just quietly. He wasn't a 'brit unionist', he wasn't opposed to independence as is rather clear.

 

[fiannanahalba]

Who told you that, the treasurer? He wasnt even a member according to the Edinburgh SSP i know. SSP is a Brit party.

 

[fiannanahalba]

SSP treasurer was excellent at fiction as well,probably more than Banks.