"Don't you wonder: why is it necessary to declare me dead again and again?" This is the question posed by Karl Marx in Howard Zinn's witty and insightful "play on history." The premise of this one-man performance is that history's most famous, and oft-misrepresented, radical is resurrected after agitating with the authorities of the afterlife to clear his name. Through a bureaucratic error, however, Marx lands in modern-day Soho, New York, rather than his old stomping ground in London, to make his case.
Here Howard Zinn, nationally known for his best-selling book A People's History of the United States, introduces us to the Karl Marx we never learned about in school-a most human of revolutionaries, driven by a deep passion for social justice. Along the way we meet Marx's wife Jenny, his children, the anarchist Mikhail Bakunin, and a host of other characters.
Zinn's Marx in Soho rescues Marx's ideas and fighting spirit for a new generation and shows how, far from casting him to the grave, our troubled times need Marx more than ever.
Howard Zinn is the one of the nation's leading historians and champions of social justice. In addition to A People's History of the United States, his many books include You Can't Be Neutral On a Moving Train, which is also the title of a 2004 documentary on Zinn's life, starring Matt Damon, Alice Walker, and others.
Brian Jones is an African American teacher and activist based in New York City. He has performed Marx in Soho for audiences nationwide since 1999.
Industry Reviews
"An imaginative critique of our society's hypocrisies and injustices, and an entertaining, vivid portrait of Karl Marx as a voice of humanitarian justice - which is perhaps the best way to remember him."-Kirkus Reviews
"A cleverly imagined call to reconsider socialist theory... Zinn's point is well made; his passion for history melds with his political vigor to make this a memorable effort and a lucid primer for readers desiring a succinct, dramatized review of Marxism."-Publishers Weekly
"Even in heaven it seems, Karl Marx is a troublemaker. But in the deft and loving hands of activist/author/historian Howard Zinn, the historical figure... is also a father, a husband and a futurist possessing a grand sense of humor."-ForeWord
"A witty delight that will engage both new and old acquaintances of the Marxian corpus.... Even conservatives will find Zinn's [book]... an intelligent and diverting read. Recommended for academic and public libraries alike."-Library Journal