John Reed's "Ten Days That Shook the World" offers an incisive and gripping chronicle of the Bolshevik Revolution from the frontlines, portraying the tumult and fervor of October 1917. Written in a journalistic yet literary style, Reed's narrative blends firsthand observation with vivid description, capturing the revolutionary zeal of the moment. The text emerges as both a historical document and a passionate prose piece, steeped in the tumultuous atmosphere of early 20th-century Russia, reflecting the ideological battles that influenced a generation and reshaped global politics. As an American journalist and socialist, John Reed was deeply immersed in the political currents of his time, which undoubtedly shaped his perspective. His firsthand experience as an eyewitness during the revolution, coupled with his unwavering commitment to leftist ideals, allows Reed to present a unique viewpoint, one that articulates not only the events but also the spirit of the revolution. His relationships with key figures, including Lenin and Trotsky, imbue his account with authenticity and depth. For readers intrigued by revolutionary history, political theory, or the complexities of social change, "Ten Days That Shook the World" is essential. Reed's work not only informs but also inspires, providing a compelling narrative that resonates even in contemporary discussions about power, governance, and the people's role in shaping history.
Ten Days That Shook the World
Author:
Format:
Duration:
- 367 pages
Language:
English
Categories:
- 17 books
John Reed
John Reed was the kind of man who, one instant, might touch you to your very core -- send a symphony into the marrow of your bones. But he was also the type who, the next instant, might prove exasperatingly shallow. Such was his sad contradiction. There he'd be reciting something truly something -- but reciting it at the exclusive room of the trendiest possible of-the-second club to an audience of those beautiful and ambitious New Yorkers who, though not always successful at it, were the most willing, in the name of glory, to lead lives unexamined and vapid. His tragic and untimely demise unfolded at a juncture when I was most disgusted with him -- for not a month earlier, his reprehensible behavior had ended our relationship. One that had seemed riddled...well, with potential. He could be a boy sometimes, standing as he would have in 1977, a child of the Manhattan wasteland -- a body filthy and lean, and trying to discover for itself honor in the void. This aspect of his work had been of interest to me. And since, during the course of our romance, we discussed our writing with each other, I became quite familiar with his proposal for Duh Whole -- the tale of a girl gone awry, and a great big hole. Hence, it was not unexpectedly (the prospect of finishing the unfinished works of expired authors ever-tempting) that I was approached the very minute John first coughed (with luck, it'd be a foreshadowing of consumption and doom). His outline proved surprisingly complete, and having no book deal of my own, I was soon secured in the effort -- and with John's institutionalization and rapid decline, I was given the green light. If you like my work, you might look for other novels ostensibly by Reed, such as Snowball's Chance and A Still Small Voice, which, incidentally, I also wrote.
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