Description

Voltairine de Cleyre was described by Emma Goldman "as the poet-rebel, the liberty-loving artist, the greatest woman-Anarchist of America." De Cleyre was born in 1866 in Leslie, Michigan. Her father who was a freethinker and communist at the time of her birth, named her in honor of Voltaire. She was a friend of Dyer D. Lum, Emma Goldman, Peter Kropotkin, Louise Michel, and Alexander Berkman. She is best known for her passionate, provocative essays and lectures in support of women, the poor and the working class. Her poetry, somber though it is, was immensely popular in the radical, labor and Freethought movements of the late Victorian era. It spoke directly to the activists of the day in a style unique to Voltairine. Her essays and poetry are as relevant today as they were when she wrote them. "Written - in - Red!" is the most complete collection of Voltairine de Cleyre's writings in print today. The editors have included 40 of her poems, seven of her Haymarket speeches, and over 40 essays and lectures. This book is part of the Freethinker Library, a collection of 19th and early 20th century books. These books are of interest to humanists, atheists, agnostics, and Freethinkers, as well as people with politically progressive or liberal views. The books of the Library champion the rights of women and workers; defend liberal capitalism and, sometimes, democratic socialism. The views of the Freethinkers are as relevant today as they were a century ago.