biographies

Biographies of revolutionaries, radicals, historical figures and working class activists.

Emma Goldman

Emma Goldman

Giuditta and Ilario

Zanella, Giuditta Maria (1885-1962)

A short biography of Giuditta Zanella, Italian anarchist who fought with the Durruti Column

Lola Iturbe

Iturbe, Lola aka Kyra Kyralina aka Kiralina (1902-1990)

A short biography of the Spanish anarchist Lola Iturbe, fighter for women's liberation

Headline of the underground newspaper Anarquía produced by FAI members in 1937

Merino Martínez, Julián (1897-1977) - Danny Evans

A short biography of the Spanish anarchist, who was a prominent ‘mid-level’ activist in the CNT, the FAI and the defence committees in Barcelona…

Marinus' mugshot, 1931

A half-blind communist with a sharp eye for the future. Marinus van der Lubbe (1909-1934) and his Reichstag Fire

Interesting history of Marinus van der Lubbe, the young communist building worker…

William Morris: Romantic to Revolutionary (1955) E. P. Thompson

William Morris: Romantic to Revolutionary - E. P. Thompson

Part of the series of biographies of William Morris. Thompson's first major work of scholarship was…

Karl Marx

Karl Marx: man and fighter - Boris Nicolaievsky and Otto Maenchen-Helfen

Part of the series of biographies of Karl Marx. 1933 biography of Karl Marx by Otto Maenchen-Helfen…

Klavdiya Sverdlova Yakov Sverdlov

Yakov Sverdlov - Klavdiya Sverdlova

This biography of Yakov Sverdlov (1885–1919) was written by Klavdiya Sverdlova, his wife and companion. She shared his life in the revolutionary…

William Morris and the Early Days of the Socialist Movement (1921)

William Morris and the Early Days of the Socialist Movement (1921)

Part of the series of biographies of William Morris. Reminiscences of Morris' work as a propagandist…

William Morris

Biographies of William Morris - reading guide

Book length or pamphlet length (10,000 words+) or otherwise notable biographies of the life of William Morris with considerable reference to his…

Emilienne Morin

Morin, Emilienne Leontine (1901-1991) aka Mimi aka Mimi-FAI

A short biography of Emilienne Morin, active in France and Spain, companera of Buenaventura Durruti

Karl Marx: His Life and Environment (1939) Isaiah Berlin

Karl Marx: His Life and Environment (1939) Isaiah Berlin

Part of the series of biographies of Karl Marx. Isaiah Berlin was a Russian-British lecturer and…

Karl Marx: His Life and Work (1910) John Spargo

Karl Marx: His Life and Work (1910) John Spargo

Part of the series of biographies of Karl Marx. John Spargo was a founding member, intellectual and editor of the Socialist Party of America in…