Article Subjects and Geography: Literature

Capitalism and the Crisis of Meaning in Our Times

Capitalism and the Crisis of Meaning in Our Times

by Helena Sheehan

June 1, 2026

Philosopher and frequent MR contributor Helena Sheehan considers the implications of living in a world in which a lack of meaning runs rampant, as well as how it is expressed in the literary world. If we lack coherent analysis, the varied crises of our times can seem disconnected and overpowering. A materially grounded Marxist worldview, she notes, allows us to clear away the fog of meaninglessness engulfing contemporary society and chart a path toward socialism.
Slipping into Gogol’s “Overcoat”: A Winter’s Tale

Slipping into Gogol’s “Overcoat”: A Winter’s Tale

by Andy Merrifield

May 1, 2026

Andy Merrifield reflects on Nikolai Gogol's short story "The Overcoat," tying it to "a distinctively Marxist problematic." In the protagonist of the tale, a Russian counsellor whose life is forever changed by the acquisition of a new overcoat, Merrifield finds a character who, like Marx, knows firsthand what a single coat can tell us about the structures of society.
January 2026 (Volume 77, Number 8)

January 2026 (Volume 77, Number 8)

by The Editors

January 1, 2026

This month's "Notes from the Editors" celebrates the accomplishments of Michael Yates, who is retiring as editorial director of Monthly Review Press. Michael's books and articles have had a tremendous impact on the work of Monthly Review as a whole, and will be sorely missed. The editors also welcome the new editorial director of the Press, Arun Kundnani, an accomplished scholar who promises to carry on the MR tradition while bringing a fresh perspective to our collective efforts.
Gogol’s Nose: On the Scent of Our Times

Gogol’s Nose: On the Scent of Our Times

by Andy Merrifield

September 1, 2025

Andy Merrifield explores Nikolai Gogol's short story "The Nose," a satirical tale featuring a puffed-up government official who finds himself suddenly nose-less. As the official pursues his formerly attached schnozz through the streets of St. Petersburg, Gogol bestows upon readers a twisted parable revealing the pettiness and indolence pervading the corridors of power.
Hegemony and the Subaltern in Kafka’s “Josephine the Singer”

Hegemony and the Subaltern in Kafka’s “Josephine the Singer”

by Christian Noakes

November 1, 2024

Christian Noakes invites readers into a literary exploration of Franz Kafka's short story, "Josephine the Singer." After all, as the author notes, "Kafka's often nightmarish stories reflect many of the social, political, and cultural dynamics inherent under capitalism." In applying this notion to "Josephine the Singer," Noakes discovers a tale that describes not only the mechanisms of domination that constrain us, but the possibilities of a new consciousness, and a new world.

These Brothers Chose Well

These Brothers Chose Well

by Michael D. Yates

April 1, 2021

Writer, editor, and prison activist Susie Day has written a beautiful, heartrending, and inspiring account of the friendship between Paul Coates and Eddie Conway. Both were born in the late 1940s and grew up in Black communities—Paul in Philadelphia and Eddie in Baltimore. Both were members of the Black Panther Party in the late 1960s and early '70s, and both were harassed by police for their radical activities as Party members. Eddie was wrongfully convicted of killing a Baltimore policeman and spent forty-four years in prison. Through it all, Paul was his steadfast friend and supporter, as well as partner in their political development and commitment to the liberation of Black people in the United States.

What We Recovered in the Revolution: Álvaro Cunhal’s Five Days, Five Nights

What We Recovered in the Revolution: Álvaro Cunhal’s Five Days, Five Nights

by Camila Valle

March 1, 2021

A prolific political writer, Álvaro Cunhal—leader of Portugal's Communist Party for half a century and central figure of the 1974 Carnation Revolution—revealed in 1994 that he had also written several novels under the pseudonym Manuel Tiago. One of these novels, Five Days, Five Nights, was only translated into and published in English in 2020. The novella manages to capture the complexities, loneliness, and bravery of ordinary people, highlighting how we are the ones who keep us safe.

Red Star: Coexistence in Alexander Bogdanov’s Utopia

Red Star: Coexistence in Alexander Bogdanov’s Utopia

by Aleksandra Djurasovic and Milan Djurasovic

February 1, 2021

Alexander Bogdanov's Red Star, published in 1908, was an attempt to reenergize the dejected revolutionaries whose efforts had been crushed during the 1905 Russian Revolution. The protagonist, Leonid, is a Russian revolutionary chosen, in the midst of the revolution, by the Martian expedition to visit their planet and learn about the centuries-old advanced form of communism there. Since the triumph of communism in Russia was the cause to which Leonid had decided to devote his life, he agrees to visit Mars so that he can absorb their ideas and principles.

Healing the Hurricane in Our Chest

Healing the Hurricane in Our Chest

by Nylca J. Muñoz Sosa

March 1, 2020

Healing through the stories we rescue and the history we make is what Aurora Levins Morales's Medicine Stories: Essays for Radicals is about. The author, a historian curandera, compiled a series of twenty-eight essays in this second edition, published twenty years after the first. Levins Morales theorizes movements for social justice and how to overcome challenges faced by activists and all those fighting and resisting oppression. She does this through accounts of her studies, personal experiences, and social conditions, providing a view of the world that allows collective healing and encourages it in others through a comprehensive understanding of history.

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