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Karl Marx: A Nineteenth-Century Life (2013)

by Jonathan Sperber(Favorite Author)

3.91 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

0871404672 (ISBN13: 9780871404671)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Liveright

review 1: Has any historical figure ever had so many misconceptions and distortions imposed on his or her legacy as Karl Marx? After reading Sperber's incredibly human biography, I doubt it. This is an incredibly satisfying biography for anyone interested in an objective view of Marx.Sperber does a masterful job of recounting Marx's life, struggles, humanity, flaws and ambitions. We meet a Marx who is brilliant polemicist but also frustratingly hypocritical at critical times during his lifetime. But most of all, we learn about a man who is far removed from the 20th Century ideas imposed upon him by self-described disciples and enemies alike.I disagree with some of the reviewers who find the discussions on political economy less than satisfying. To meet their unrealistic standards, S... moreperber would have had to write a book of thousands of pages. Instead he delves into some critical ideas that help the reader to understand the context in which Marx intended them to be. And that means understanding how his ideas were formed and fit into the 19th Century times in which he lived. I was particularly struck with the thorough way that Sperber showed the progression and inner conflict Marx experienced with his early days of Hegelianism philosophy and his later incorporation of positivist ideas. Additionally, the contrast with his writings and his constant striving for the ideal Victorian family life is masterful.Sperber makes me wish I could be a young man again and attend his classes at the University of Missouri. Having read Isaiah Berlin's thoroughly unsatisfying biography (the only bad thing of which I am aware that Berlin ever wrote), I envy any student today who will have this work as a starting point to understand Marx and his ideas.
review 2: Sperber does an excellent job of explaining Marx’s life and philosophy. This was my introduction to Marx, and as it was with Issacson’s ‘Einstein’, I had to take brief breaks researching not only his theories, but his influences (specifically G W F Hegel). While the book takes for granted that you have an understanding of both topics, with a little patients and a good search engine, you will appreciate this rich and layered biography. less

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