Would he ever say, 'I love you'?
Would she ever say, 'You were right about historical materialism'?
The poems in My Marxist Valentine chart a relationship of contradictions between an idealistic and romantic narrator, and her eponymous antagonist, a man of science, study and silence, at least where love is concerned.
Seeking answers in the relationships of revolutionaries like Eleanor Marx, Rosa Luxemburg and Emma Goldman, and attempting to extract dating advice from Marx's Capital, poet Deborah Finding invites the reader to consider if, when, and how love can be truly radical. It calls on a wide cast of characters, where Jane Austen goes up against Karl Marx to provide some critiques of leftwing hypocrisy, and a communist Mr Darcy finds himself referencing both Judith Butler and Taylor Swift on his search for the ideal anti-capitalist comrade to join him in the good fight.
The big ideas are presented with humour and generosity, achieving depth without sacrificing accessibility - making My Marxist Valentine a challenging, darkly funny and unexpectedly touching poetry adventure in search of solidarity and the true meaning of love.
Related Subjects
Poetry