Sven-Eric Liedman

Liedman begins by complaining that nobody has yet properly synthesized Marx's life and his works, taking swipes at big, recent biographies like Sperber's and Stedman-Jones'... and then proceeds to not synthesize the life and works in any interesting way. Never before have I felt the force of the cliche that such and such "reads like a novel"; Liedman's book reads like the exact opposite. Marx's life is barely here, and the first half of the book is a real trial of strength; mostly, it made me excited to read Stedman-Jones' apparently insufficient account, in the hope that it would at least have some life to it.

Thankfully, Liedman's expertise appears to be ideas, rather than biography; his discussions of Marx's ideas, particularly in the Grundrisse and Capital do make the book worth a look. They're clear, concise, and generally solid. They're also amusingly 'Marxist,' in the sense that everyone and anyone who doesn't exactly agree with Liedman is dismissed in hysterical terms, as if all the history of the world hung on whether you read Marx like some German guy you've never heard of, or like some American you've never heard of, or like Liedman, who, let's be honest, you hadn't heard of until you started this book. Guys (always guys, too): you're on the same side. Stop being so ridiculous.… (more)