Cover to the 1999 New York Review of Books edition of Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist.

Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist is Alexander Berkman's account of his experience in prison in the U.S. from 1892 to 1906. First published in 1912 by Emma Goldman's Mother Earth press, it has become a classic in autobiographical literature. The New York Review of Books (or NYRB) is a biweekly magazine on literature, culture, and current affairs published in New York which takes as its point of departure that the discussion of important books is itself an indispensable literary activity. ... Alexander Berkman together with Emma Goldman in 1917 Alexander Berkman (21 November 1870 - 28 June 1936) was a Russian writer and activist who lived and worked for many years in the United States, where he was a leading member of the anarchist movement. ... For other uses, see United States (disambiguation) and US (disambiguation). ... 1892 was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... 1906 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Emma Goldman (June 27, 1869 – May 14, 1940) was a Lithuanian-born anarcho-communist known for her anarchist writings and speeches. ... Autobiography (from the Greek auton, self, bios, life and graphein, write) is biography, the writing of a life story, from the viewpoint of the subject. ...

Story

The book begins with the details of how Berkman came to be imprisoned: as an anarchist activist, he had attempted to assassinate wealthy industrialist Henry Clay Frick, manager of the Carnegie steel works in Pennsylvania. Frick had been responsible for crushing the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers in the infamous Homestead strike, in which about 10 men were killed. However, despite shooting Frick three times (hitting once) and stabbing him several times in the leg with a poisoned knife, he survived, and Berkman was sentenced to 22 years in prison. He had hoped to awaken the consiousness of the oppressed American people, but, as the book goes on to detail, America lacked the political culture to interpret his actions. Even fellow prisoners from the union he was defending failed to see his political intent. Anarchism is a generic term describing various political philosophies and social movements that advocate the elimination of hierarchy and imposed authority. ... Henry Clay Frick (December 19, 1849 – December 2, 1919) was an American industrialist and art patron. ... Andrew Carnegie constructed a profitable steel mill at Braddock, Pennsylvania in the mid-1870s. ... State nickname: The Keystone State Other U.S. States Capital Harrisburg Largest city Philadelphia Governor Ed Rendell (D) Official languages None Area 119,283 km² (33rd)  - Land 116,074 km²  - Water 3,208 km² (2. ... The Homestead Strike was a labor confrontation lasting 143 days in 1892, one of the most serious in the history of the United States. ...

The bulk of the book is set during Berkman's years in prison. Written in first person, present tense, simple English (his second language), it reads like a diary, though it was in fact written after Berkman's release. It is a coming-of-age story that tracks Berkman's difficult loss of his youthful sentimental idealism as he struggles with the physical and psychological conditions of prison life, at times bringing him to the verge of suicide. First person can refer to the following: A grammatical person or a closely related Perspective (storytelling). ... The present tense is the tense (form of a verb) that is often used to express: Action at the present time A state of being A habitual action An occurrence in the near future An action that occurred in the past and continues up to the present Contents // Categories: Grammatical... Coming of age is a young persons formal transition from adolescence to adulthood. ... In philosophy, idealism is used to refer to any metaphysical theory positing the primacy of mind, spirit, or language over matter. ...

As he gets to know the other prisoners, he has nothing but disdain and disgust for them as people, though he sees them as victims of an unjust system. "They are not of my world," he writes. "I would aid them," he says, being "duty bound to the victims of social injustice. But I cannot be friends with them... they touch no chord in my heart." Gradually, though, Berkman's self-imposed distance and moral high ground begins to crumble as he comes to see the flawed humanity in everyone, including himself.

The Prison Memoirs is also, in part, a tribute to his friendship with fellow activist Emma Goldman, to whom he refers repreatedly (though not by name) thourghout the book. She is the only person to maintain correspondence with Berkman in prison, and defends him from criticism on the outside, helping him upon his release. The book tracks the development of Berkman's ideas on political violence, and his ruminations often read like a dialog with Goldman, whom he knows intimately. Emma Goldman (June 27, 1869 – May 14, 1940) was a Lithuanian-born anarcho-communist known for her anarchist writings and speeches. ...

References

• Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist, by Alexander Berkman. 1999 edition, New York Review of Books. ISBN 094032234X

External links

• Free online publication of Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist — from the Anarchy Archvives.