The Penguin Book of Socialist Verse

Bold, Alan (ed.)
Publisher:  Penguin, England
Year Published:  1970
Pages:  550pp   Price:  $2.50   Resource Type:  Book
Cx Number:  CX6668

An anthology of poems, some by socialists, other by poets who do not identify themselves as socialist but who have written poetry reflecting a socialist sensibility.

Abstract: 
The Penguin Book of Socialist Verse is an anthology of poetry by writers from around the world. They seek to describe, define and support socialism. Various interpretations of the meaning of socialism are presented. Overall, there is a search for equality and progress, and an end to corruption and oppression. Activists against capitalism and advocates of socialism express their visions in poem form.

The international poetry has been translated from many languages to be accessible in English. Authors include Heinrich Heine, Mao Tse-Tung, Osip Mandelstamm, Cesar Vallejo, Ho Chi-Minh, Hugh Macdiarmid, Vladimir Mayakovski, Bertolt Brecht, Langston Hughes, Pablo Neruda and Ernesto Che Guevara. Several poems by the same author are often found in the volume.

Alan Bold, the editor, seeks to reach mass readership so that this poetry can speak to all. His collection demonstrates the human need to overthrow capitalism because so many writers from different countries and parts of the world have here expressed the same view. Socialism has wormed its way into South America and Europe, and its ideas are appealing all over the globe. According to Bold, this shows how necessary it is to make a progressive change in society.

[Abstract by Mia Manns]

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