"Superb … A vivid account of one of the most compelling lives in modern revolutionary history." Maurice Casey, author of Hotel Lux Ideological schisms have always been a feature of the left, but for much of the early twentieth century they could be deadly. Few revolutionary figures managed to chart such a unique course through the turbulent currents of anarchism and Bolshevism as Victor Serge. Today, thanks to his classic memoirs and novels, Serge is esteemed by most segments of the left. But who was this man, who led such a thrilling life on the frontlines of history? An anarchist? A Bolshevik? A Trotskyist? Or did he evolve into something else entirely? In this vivid account of the life, work and political evolution of Victor Serge, Mitchell Abidor rescues his subject, with all his contradictions, from the constraints of any single label. Examining the lacunae and errors in his memoirs, the hidden Serge is ultimately revealed for what he was: an unruly revolutionary of both great courage and contradictions. Table of Contents Preface1. Growing up Kibalchich2. From Socialism to Anarchism3. Paris4. The Tragic Bandits5. Man in Prison6. Barcelona: Becoming Victor Serge7. Serge and the Russian Anarchists8. Kronstadt9. The Anarchists Against Serge10. Victor Serge Against Kibalchich11. Why?12. Comintern Agent in Central Europe13. Opposition14. Arrest15. Orenburg and L’Affaire Serge16. Return to the West17. Flight from Europe18. Liuba19. Finally Mexico20. Revising the Revolution21. Anticommunist?22. Fisticuffs23. Final Interview24. EpilogueAcknowledgements About the Author Mitchell Abidor is a writer and translator living in Brooklyn, New York. In addition to his many translation works, he is the author of May Made Me and I’ll Forget It When I Die!: The Bisbee Deportation of 1917. Abidor is the translator and editor of Victor Serge’s anarchist writings, Anarchists Never Surrender, and translated with Richard Greeman Serge’s Notebooks (1936-1947). What People Are Saying "Mitchell Abidor’s superb and assertive writing reveals the many faces of Victor Serge, a ‘troublesome witness’ to some of the most decisive moments of his era. This is a vivid and deeply researched account of one of the most compelling lives in modern revolutionary history." Maurice J. Casey, author of Hotel Lux: An Intimate History of Communism’s Forgotten Radicals "From anarchism to Bolshevism to anti-totalitarian socialism, Victor Serge never abandoned his passionate struggle for human freedom and a just society. Mitchell Abidor captures this rebel for all seasons in all his fascinating and tortured complexity." Bruce Baugh, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy, Thompson Rivers University "A fascinating and provocative biography of a fascinating and provocative man. Tracing Serge’s tumultuous pilgrimage from individualist anarchism to revolutionary socialism to ethical personalism, Abidor testifies to his life-long courage in ‘rethinking left-wing politics.” Geoffrey Kurtz, Associate Professor of Political Science, Borough of Manhattan Community College "Mitchell Abidor’s new biography of the early 20th century radical, memoirist, and novelist best known as Victor Serge is the tale of a left-wing ‘Zelig.’ In Abidor’s tale we meet the leading figures of European anarchism, socialism, and communism, intellectuals as well as activist revolutionaries. Through his life of Serge, Abidor distills the history of Western revolutionary radicalism in the first half of the twentieth century." Melvyn Dubofsky, Professor Emeritus of History and Sociology, Binghamton University
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