Partisan • Patriotic • Internationalist
“Let us outdate my book”, Ståle Holgersen writes on the last page of his book, Against the Crisis: Economy and Ecology in a Burning World. “We must change reality so that librarians will be able to move this book from the political section to the historical one.” His critical optimism […]
Heinrich Mann, brother of Thomas Mann and in his own right one of the most significant German writers of the 20th century, died in exile in California 75 years ago, on March 11, 1950. His literary work, deeply concerned with social justice and political change, remains relevant today. Mann’s writing […]
Gaza is now 50 million tons of debris How do you measure 50 million tons of debris? How do you weigh 50 million tons of debris? Go teach our children! 50 million tons of debris […]
Language, Identity and Modern Belfast Irish is often considered a relic of the past. Kneecap, directed by Rich Peppiatt, obliterates this notion with a brash, hilarious, and poignant quasi-biopic of Belfast’s working-class Irish-language leftwing rap trio. Starring Mo Chara (Liam Óg Ó Hannaidh), Móglaí Bap (Naoise Ó Cairealláin), and DJ […]
How to fight while healing? Hannah Proctor spells out this, and other core questions of Burnout clearly as she engages with literature, historical examples, and her personal experiences. From the Paris Commune to Jeremy Corbyn, Proctor brings out illustrative examples of emotional experiences in left politics and revolutionary activity. In […]
Edited by Oisín Gilmore and David Landy, Pluto Press, 2024 Social movements and radical politics were largely marginal in Irish society when I was growing up in Donegal during the Celtic Tiger. Even the Shell To Sea campaign, important as it was, hadn’t really registered with me or anyone I […]
Michael Longley, one of Ireland’s most celebrated poets, passed away at 85 on 22nd January 2025, leaving behind a remarkable legacy spanning more than 50 years. His death marks the end of a significant generation of Irish poets. Longley was born in Belfast in 1939 to English parents, the same […]
In her latest novel, Intermezzo, Sally Rooney continues her exploration of intimate relationships, albeit with a shift away from the clear political critique that characterised her earlier works. Its focus lies on what makes personal relationships successful, and, surprisingly, on unconditional love as something close to God. Rooney’s previous novel, […]
In the past few months, two important contributions to Irish sports history hit the shelves of bookshops around the country. Labelling these books as Irish sports history is potentially reductive, as both authors make it very clear that the history they write is a shadow of what we would call […]
On 10th December 2024, Han Kang will be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, making her the second South Korean and the first Asian woman to receive this honour. Known for her focus on South Korea’s complex history of violence, oppression, and resistance, Kang’s win resonates powerfully with progressives, as […]
Europe in the mid-19th century experienced widespread political upheaval. The Revolutions of 1848, which swept across France, Germany, Austria, Hungary, and Italy, demanded political reform and national self-determination. While most of these revolts failed in the short term, they exposed tensions between conservative monarchies and the bourgeoisie, who pushed for […]
Fortune Teller Out of sheer desperationI went to the fortune tellerand begged her to tell me when the war would end.Her lips curled.What did that mean?I felt my own lips beginning to curl as well, unwittingly.She looked me straight in the eye.Maybe she doesn’t know, I said to myself.Can she […]
Ar dtús, caithfidh mé mo leithscéal a ghabháil as labhairt anseo i dteanga ár namhad. Nach greannmhar go bhfuil muid ag plé an ábhair seo i dteanga a níonn scrios ar ár gcultúr agus ar mheon na saoirse sa tír seo agus ar fud an domhain, lá i ndiaidh lae. […]
based on an interview with Karl Döring The unification of Germany in 1990 initially inspired hope but quickly descended into chaos for many in the former GDR. As someone who experienced this transition firsthand, I witnessed the upheaval caused by the shift from a planned economy to a market-driven system. […]
Jeremy Corbyn and Len McCluskey, OR Books, New York and London, 2023 Poetry for the Many is a remarkable publication by two prominent British socialists, Jeremy Corbyn and Len McCluskey, whose public roles might not immediately suggest a foray into poetry. Corbyn and McCluskey are both well-known for their political […]
For decades, New Books editions of Connolly’s writings were the main resource for readers seeking the word of James Connolly in print. The two volumes of Connolly’s Collected Works and pocket versions of Labour in Irish History remained bestsellers in New Books (later Connolly Books), but the story of Connolly […]