Sep 18
2009

From Mythmakers and Lawbreakers:

M. John Harrison (1945–), author of the anarchist The Centauri Device among many other novels, said the following in an interview with Andy Darlington (S.F. Spectrum No.8, 1985):

We must accept—given that [all viewpoints come down to subjectivity]—that we must operate personally. I mean, that’s why I’m still an anarchist. If all value-judgements are subjective which they are by definition, linguistically and in the real world, then any evaluation we make of the universe is personal. It therefore behooves us to act with dignity, and act personally. Not to club together in big groups and say “because we have agreed on this personal evaluation as universal, from now on it will be universal, and we will hit anybody who doesn’t agree with us!”

Author’s site:

mjohnharrison.com

Author’s blog:

Ambient Hotel

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Sep 18
2009

From Mythmakers and Lawbreakers:

William Godwin (1756–1836), considered by some “the first anarchist,” did indeed lay down an impressive amount of anti-state theory, in part in his remarkably titled Enquiry concerning Political Justice, and its Influence on General Virtue and Happiness. He also, however, wrote what is considered the first mystery novel: Things as They Are or The Adventures of Caleb Williams. He was married to Mary Wollstonecraft, one of the first feminists, and fathered Mary Shelley, one of the first science-fiction authors. He was libeled and persecuted heavily for his political be-liefs and spent much of his life living as anonymously as possible.

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Sep 15
2009

From Mythmakers and Lawbreakers:

J. Daniels (n.d.) released a parody of TinTin in the 1980s that featured TinTin as a radical anarchist unionist, entitled The Adventures of TinTin: Breaking Free.

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Sep 12
2009

From Mythmakers and Lawbreakers:

Steve Cullen (n.d.) is the author of The Last Capitalist: A Dream of a New Utopia as well as a non-fiction book exploring the libertarian critique of education, both published by Freedom Press in the UK.

From Ben Beck’s Anarchism and Science Fiction:

Published by London’s anarchist Freedom Press, [The Last Capitalist] is essentially an anarchist utopia set in a future Britain. The story involves a quest for the eponymous capitalist, and contributes greatly to the book’s readability. England has been renamed ‘Atopia’, and is explicitly anarchist, but the state and capitalism have pretty much crumbled world-wide. Alternative polities exist, to reflect local conditions and aspirations; among these is a republic on the Isle of Man, based on delegate democracy. In Atopia everything is voluntary, education is through free schools, and the economy is based on barter. Informed by green principles, technology is nevertheless sufficiently sophisticated to include high-altitude remote-controlled airships, to maintain satellite communications. Social life is fuelled by plenty of real ale (with an explicit admiring nod to CAMRA) and an easy attitude to sex. The book is joyful and optimistic.

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Sep 12
2009

From Mythmakers and Lawbreakers:

Alex Comfort (1920–2000), the author of the best-selling The Joy of Sex, said that he would much rather be remembered for his anarchism, his pacifism, and his novels (which include On This Side of Nothing). He also wrote an essay, The Novel and Our Time, exploring the novel as an agent of liberation.

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Sep 10
2009

From Mythmakers and Lawbreakers:

Anthony Burgess (1917–1993) is famous today as the author of A Clockwork Orange, but it was only one of his over 30 novels. He said that he deeply regretted how the film adaptation seemed to glorify sexual violence, and how easily people misread that book. He was also an anarchist: “I’ve never had any money, therefore I’ve no sympathy for capitalists … I suppose I end up as an anarchist” (from Anthony Burgess, a biography by Roger Lewis, 2002). In his younger life, while serving in the British army, he was often in trouble for defying authority, including being arrested for insulting Spanish fascist Franco. In addition to being a novelist, he was an accomplished literary critic, linguist, composer.

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Sep 10
2009

From Mythmakers and Lawbreakers:

Steve Booth (n.d.), the former editor of the UK’s Green Anarchist magazine, wrote a novel entitled City-Death.

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Sep 10
2009

From Mythmakers and Lawbreakers:

William Blake (1757–1827), poet and author of “Illuminated Manuscripts” (proto-graphic-novels), was an anarchist before the word was coined. He was also both a mystic and completely unrenowned in his time. He attacked organized religion fiercely, and published the heretical The Marriage of Heaven & Hell. One interesting quote from that book: “Prisons are built with stones of Law, Brothels with bricks of Religion.”

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