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Amazon.co.uk Review
Karl Marx, whose influence on modern times has been compared to that of Jesus Christ, spent most of his lifetime in obscurity. Penniless, exiled in London, estranged from relations and on the run from most of the police forces of Europe, his ambitions as a revolutionary were frequently thwarted and his major writings on politics and economics remained unpublished (in some cases until after the Second World War). He has not lacked biographers, but even the most distinguished have been more interested in the evolution of his ideas than any other aspect of his life. Francis Wheen's fresh, lively and moving biography of Marx considers the whole man--brain, beard and the rest of his body. Unencumbered by ideological point-scoring, this is a very readable, humorous and sympathetic account. A Guardian columnist, Wheen has an ear for juicy gossip and an eye for original detail. Marx comes over as a hell-raising bohemian, an intellectual bully and a perceptive critic of capitalist chaos, but also a family man of Victorian conformity personally vetting his daughters' suitors, Victorian ailments (carbuncles above all) and Victorian weaknesses, notably alcohol, tobacco and, on occasion, his housekeeper. But there is great pathos, too, as Marx witnessed the deaths of four of his six children. For those readers who feel Marxism has given Marx a bad name, this is a rewarding and enlightening book. --Miles Taylor
Amazon.co.uk Review
Karl Marx, whose influence on modern times has been compared to that of Jesus Christ, spent most of his lifetime in obscurity. Penniless, exiled in London, estranged from relations and on the run from most of the police forces of Europe, his ambitions as a revolutionary were frequently thwarted and his major writings on politics and economics remained unpublished (in some cases until after the Second World War). He has not lacked biographers, but even the most distinguished have been more interested in the evolution of his ideas than any other aspect of his life. Francis Wheen's fresh, lively and moving biography of Marx considers the whole man--brain, beard and the rest of his body. Unencumbered by ideological point-scoring, this is a very readable, humorous and sympathetic account. A Guardian columnist, Wheen has an ear for juicy gossip and an eye for original detail. Marx comes over as a hell-raising bohemian, an intellectual bully and a perceptive critic of capitalist chaos, but also a family man of Victorian conformity (personally vetting his daughters' suitors), Victorian ailments (carbuncles above all) and Victorian weaknesses (notably alcohol, tobacco and, on occasion, his housekeeper). But there is great pathos, too, as Marx witnessed the deaths of four of his six children. For those readers who feel Marxism has given Marx a bad name, this is a rewarding and enlightening book. --Miles Taylor
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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A train grinds slowly through the Moselle valley - tall pines, terraced vineyards, prim villages, calm smoke in the winter sky. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
A train grinds slowly through the Moselle valley - tall pines, terraced vineyards, prim villages, calm smoke in the winter sky. Read the first page
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I cannot agree with the one and two star ratings on this book. It is definitely a five-star.
I studied Marx at University for my Philosophy degree, 20 years ago.
I found the book excellent. No, not for its explanation of Marx's theories. Those who want that are looking in the wrong place. Look to McLellean for that. This is a biography. The readers that complain about its lack of substance of Marx's theories need to note that.
Even so, it would be a useful compliment to some of McLelleans work as it puts the writings in context. I wish it was around when I was studying Marx. I would recommend it to any new Marx scholar.
It is sympathetic to Marx, which is rare, yet it revealed information which those who are sympathetic may not wish to hear, e.g. Marx's seemingly contradictory middle-class values.
Overall, an excellent book and it has rekindled my interest in Marx and Engels.
(PS. My email address is real. I just happened to find it available!)
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is a very good biography of the eminent thinker and social philosopher - Karl Marx (1818-1893) - who, (despite being born in Prussia), spent the last 30 years or so, of his life living London (UK). During this, and with the assistance of the library, which was then situated in the British Museum, Marx produced some of his most influencial work regarding the history of political economy, and was an important member of the First International, founded in 1864, being elected to the General Council, which he would eventually lead. No biography of Karl Marx would be complete without a considerable amount of biographical details of Friedrich Engels (1820-1895), the wealthy son of a successful business who continuously offered moral and financial support to Marx and his family, throughout his life.
The hardback (1999) edition contains 431 numbered pages and consists of an Introduction and 12 distinct chapters, as well as 3 Postscripts:
Introduction.
1) The Outsider.
2) The Little Wild Boar.
3) The Grass-eating King.
4) The Mouse in the Attic.
5) The Frightful Hobgoblin.
6) The Megalosaurus.
7) The Hungry Wolves.
8) The Hero on Horseback.
9) The Buildings and the Hyena.
10) The Shaggy Dog.
11) The Rogue Elephant.
12) The Shaven Porcupine.
Postscript 1: Consequences.
Postscript 2: Confessions.
Postscripy 3: Regicide.
Acknowledgements.
Endnotes.
Index.
This is a highly accessible rendering of the life of Karl Marx, his family, friends, enemies and colleagues and associates. Wheen, wherever possible, appears sympathetic to Karl Marx, particularly where other biographers have allowed unfounded prejudice and the deliberate misreading of events to seep into their respective narratives. In this respect, Wheen introduces the reader to other authors and their accounts of the life of Karl Marx. This book is not a comprehensive presentation of the academic output of Karl Marx, although, of course, the author has to mention briefly major aspects of that work, to give the biography a sense of gravitas. This is the life story of Karl Marx, a man with a brilliant mind who created a narrative through study that clearly shows the historical development of modern capitalism, and the exploitative nature of that development. This genius is juxtaposed with the details of, by comparison, the mundane, everyday life of Marx and those who shared it with him. He was never rich, often broke, a number of his off-spring died in their yearly, there is a rumour that he fathered a child with the family maid, his wife gave up a life of luxury to follow him, and when he died, his official designation was that of a 'Stateless Person'. This book is very well written and a very good introduction to the life of Karl Marx.
The hardback (1999) edition contains 431 numbered pages and consists of an Introduction and 12 distinct chapters, as well as 3 Postscripts:
Introduction.
1) The Outsider.
2) The Little Wild Boar.
3) The Grass-eating King.
4) The Mouse in the Attic.
5) The Frightful Hobgoblin.
6) The Megalosaurus.
7) The Hungry Wolves.
8) The Hero on Horseback.
9) The Buildings and the Hyena.
10) The Shaggy Dog.
11) The Rogue Elephant.
12) The Shaven Porcupine.
Postscript 1: Consequences.
Postscript 2: Confessions.
Postscripy 3: Regicide.
Acknowledgements.
Endnotes.
Index.
This is a highly accessible rendering of the life of Karl Marx, his family, friends, enemies and colleagues and associates. Wheen, wherever possible, appears sympathetic to Karl Marx, particularly where other biographers have allowed unfounded prejudice and the deliberate misreading of events to seep into their respective narratives. In this respect, Wheen introduces the reader to other authors and their accounts of the life of Karl Marx. This book is not a comprehensive presentation of the academic output of Karl Marx, although, of course, the author has to mention briefly major aspects of that work, to give the biography a sense of gravitas. This is the life story of Karl Marx, a man with a brilliant mind who created a narrative through study that clearly shows the historical development of modern capitalism, and the exploitative nature of that development. This genius is juxtaposed with the details of, by comparison, the mundane, everyday life of Marx and those who shared it with him. He was never rich, often broke, a number of his off-spring died in their yearly, there is a rumour that he fathered a child with the family maid, his wife gave up a life of luxury to follow him, and when he died, his official designation was that of a 'Stateless Person'. This book is very well written and a very good introduction to the life of Karl Marx.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Francis Wheen's anti-dogmatic biography of Marx is a refreshing look at the life of a man whose work has continued to impact the course of political life and our understanding of the system of capital. The most positive aspect of Wheen's approach is that at last we have a writer who can approach Charlie Marx as a human, with human problems, human shortcomings and failings, and yet show that none of these very human traits detract from his massive intellectual contribution to the project of human emancipation. Francis Wheen's work is therefore an important and critical contribution to the process of human emancipation, above all the emancipation of the mind. Having read Wheen's biography, we must conclude that Marx was neither a devil nor a saint, but a man sincerely concerned with the condition and fate of humanity, and still worth studying.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Lacking depth
Francis Wheen has rightly been known as a fine and entertaining columnist and I came to this biography of Karl Marx hoping to find a fresh approach to an historical figure that... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Michael Gannon
Wheen's Marx
I don't profess to know very much at all about Marx (hence the purchase of this biography) so I am unable to verify many of the historical details or claims. Read more
Published 8 months ago by TheOddGothic
Entertaining and Honest
As said in other reviews, this a biography not a critique of his theories. And what a biography! Its extremely well-written, and highly interesting - I read it over a couple of... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Glasgow Reader
England expects...
A surprising romp of a read - Wheen excels at finding the man comically hiding behind the myth. I never realised Marx spent so much time in England, an aspect that seems to be... Read more
Published 16 months ago by Edward Barry
Marx Biography
This book is an easy to read biography of Karl Marx. As a person who has no schooling in the areas of philosophy/sociology discussed, this book is accessible and somewhat of a page... Read more
Published on 18 Oct 2008 by E. Jones
A Humanising look at Charlie Marx
Karl Marx has often been described as one of the most evil men ever to have lived. Indeed, there is a book listed on amazon entitled "Was Karl Marx a Satanist? Read more
Published on 11 Aug 2008 by R. Jones
Excellent, but with a few flaws.
Francis Wheen's biography of Marx is excellent. It's witty, realistic, sympathetic, well written, easily read and thoroughly enjoyable - so read it. Read more
Published on 14 April 2008 by Germinal
enjoyable, insightful
I previously knew nothing about Karl Marx except that he wrote the communist manifesto.
My preconceptions of the man, were fairly ignorant. Read more
My preconceptions of the man, were fairly ignorant. Read more
Published on 22 Jan 2008 by J. Syner
Little Dynamo!
I never knew Karl Marx was so much fun! Here Herr Marx leaps from the pages destroying enemies with invective, scorn and stinging wit; loving his wife and family as a kindly... Read more
Published on 18 Jan 2002
Karl Marx, an iluminating biography from Francis Wheen
Frances Wheen biography on Karl Marx is a benchmark in recent books on famous political thinkers. The way he comprehends Karl personality as a human being and a political... Read more
Published on 20 July 2001 by arnaldogoncalves@mail.telepac.pt
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