Robert E. Howard - The Complete Chronicles of Conan
Did I enjoy it? Yes.
Would I recommend it? No.
The racism and sexism are at the level I would expect from a white rural Texan writing in the 1930's. Even though explicitly praising diversity of peoples (races) when describing nations or cities, his women are mostly passive and always taken and 'savages' are all too often cruel blacks. His romantic view of the 'barbarian' as a man with innate decency and other talents lost to 'civilized men' is something that was dated even in the 1930's.
So why did I enjoy this collection still?
For one there is the 'antropological' aspect of reading this kind of stuff. Besides that, these short stories are like the SF of that era, completely plot-driven, fast paced. You want to turn that page. Lastly there are stylistic aspects that hint back to the oral traditions of Norse myths. For instance the use of alliterations, like 'the lurking listener' 'a purple pulp' (what Conan would have been if crushed by a falling stone) and even better Howard's use of kennning-like descriptions. 'The sharp cloud' for a barrage of arrows, 'blue rolling wastes' for the sea and 'his crimson work' for Conan slaying his enemies.
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Anonymous - Total Liberation
Insurrectionist literature, like 'Total Liberation' is often more interesting because of it's criticism of other revolutionary strategies than because of it's own proposal. All too often that can be summarized as 'let's start smashing windows because blue prints are illusory'.
This booklet has some of that, however it moves past that simplicity in the second half of the book. Though not as thought through as I would have loved to see, the need for preparing and creating alternatives for centralized functions *before* an insurrectional opportunity arises. 'Anarchy made livable'.
The analysis in the last chapter 'Confronting the Future' is sketches in too broad strokes as well for my liking. A bit of the old bourgeois intellectual tradition, unfortunately.
All in all a good read for anarchists and other non-autoritarian leftists.
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