An American Anarchist: The Life of Voltairine de Cleyre - Paperback

by Paul Avrich (Author), Robert P. Helms (Introduction by)

When it was first published, An American Anarchist marked a trail historians of American anarchism are still following today. Narrative-driven like all of Paul Avrich's works, it presents Voltairine de Cleyre and her fellow anarchists as complex human beings. De Cleyre (1866-1912) was the first prominent American-born anarchist. From her writings and speeches, through the illnesses that plagued her, the assassination attempt that left her clinging to life, to her early death at forty- five, she worked tirelessly for her ideal. Avrich places her squarely in her vibrant milieu, highlighting famous characters like Emma Goldman and Alexander Berkman and the infamous, like Dyer D. Lum--Voltairine de Cleyre's lover and the man who sneaked a dynamite cartridge into Louis Lingg's cell so the accused Haymarket Martyr could die at his own hand and not the state's. This edition includes a new introduction by historian Robert P. Helms.

Author Biography

Paul Avrich (1931-2006) was distinguished Professor of Russian History at Queens College (CUNY). He is the author of e Haymarket Tragedy, Sacco and Vanzetti: The Anarchist Background, and Sasha and Emma: The Anarchist Odyssey of Alexander Berkman and Emma Goldman, among others.