The History of Verso Books with Tariq Ali and Sebastian Budgen
2020 marks 50 years of radical publishing at Verso Books. Founded by the journal New Left Review in 1970, Verso-named after the term for a left-hand page-began as New Left Books. The fledging imprint sought to invigorate the Anglophone intellectual world with the energy and insight of the best continental philosophy and social theory.
Now, 50 years on, Verso brings you radical voices that challenge capitalism, racism and patriarchy, debate the future of the planet, and offer far-reaching proposals for social and political change.
In this video, Tariq Ali (one of the New Left Review core group that founded New Left Books/Verso), and Verso editor Sebastian Budgen, discuss the history of New Left Books, and the political and intellectual context from which Verso Books developed.
Support the future of radical publishing at Verso Books by joining our newly launched Book Club: www.versobooks.com/pages/book...
Tariq Ali has written more than two-dozen books on world history and politics-the most recent of which are The Clash of Fundamentalisms, The Obama Syndrome and The Extreme Centre-as well as the novels of his Islam Quintet and scripts for the stage and screen. He is a long-standing member of the editorial committee of New Left Review and lives in London. You can find all his work here: www.versobooks.com/blogs/auth...
Sebastian Budgen is a Senior Editor at Verso Books.
Пікірлер: 17
I now have a whole bookcase - case not shelf - of Verso. So good I’m obsessed
Tariq Ali is such a wonderful speaker!
What a great interview. Who knew Verso turned away No Logo?!
Happy Birthday Verso. 50 years young. When I was at Paisley Uni in late 1990s the Library was well stocked on all the earlier publications of NLB/Verso. The art work and design was simple. The Tatin Tower should return to design. Bookmarks have also used it and have it a featured in there shop. Thanks for this fantastic history of a great publishing house, radical ideas and the movement since the 1960s!
Fantastic interview, very interesting
Isaac Deutscher's 'Three Currents in Communism' was published in New Left Review, no. 23 (January-February, 1964).
Fascinating
I'm a Verso my grandfather Came from Sicily
The point about OA publishing is that is free to read by the masses [and others] - this is a good thing. This does not stop on-demand publishing of a volume. I support outlets like Open Book Publishers in Cambridge for this reason. Yes, the authors may have to pay, rather than readers.
I wonder why Monthly Review wasn't mentioned. Has there never been any collaboration between the two journals and publishing houses?
@markporciani8871
3 жыл бұрын
Monthly Review was closer to Stalinism. As important in many respects. But strictly not a New Left writers network. Great Journal. The publishing house that it has become emerged more since the 1990s and the new movements.
@hassanas-sabbagh6562
3 жыл бұрын
@@markporciani8871 Maybe you meant to say closer to the Third World (Anti-imperialism, Maoism, etc.)?
@markporciani8871
3 жыл бұрын
No... Leo Hubberman, Paul Sweezy works was clearly Stalinist. Still nuggets within. Man's Worldly Goods is excellent until final section. Stalinist conclusion. Same with Theory of Capitalist Development. Harry Braverman stands a test of time There New World stuff is important. They show combined and Uneven Development independently of Trotskyism in Marxism. Obsession with understanding agriculture has been very helpful in last twenty years. It's partly why John Bellamy Foster and Ian Angus works on Marxist Ecology and Anthropocene was ahead of the game. While Independent Marxism and close to Classical Marxism. They wasn't particularly part of New Left tradition. Close but not off it. An example of Stalinist influence is JBF disappointing analysis of Trump as Fascist. Clearly his understanding of Fascist can only come from that tradition. When I was at University I read the whole back catalogue of Monthly Review as I did NLR in the summer months. Still subscribed to both over 20 years later!
Didn't Ali vote for Brexit? Couldn't forgive that. Look at Britain today.
@TARIQALI-pd4mj
3 жыл бұрын
I didn't vote because I was at a trades union conference in Brazil, but I supported it to give the EU a kick for what they've done to Greece!. And whoever you are take a look at Italy and Spain and Hungary and Poland. Since you appear to be a Europhile I assume you know what's going on in there....best not to flaunt your ignorance too much.
@harrowagenda21
3 жыл бұрын
@@TARIQALI-pd4mj I was a soc sci professor in the UK until mid 2019. Travelled across UK and Europe in Feb20 too. I watched the Brexit debate first hand in a northern town that voted [just] in favour of exit. But nobody at our university, a progressive one with >80% unionisation, voted for Brexit except a few in the Management School [apparently] and the right wing students. In terms of any political economy reading the UK ends up worse off. Sovereignty might benefit but the economy won't, and small and worthy businesses already aren't. Also: xenophobia rose, in my town. Austerity&Brexit=less opportunity, work, freedom of movement, and regional development options. As Danny Dorling shows, southern middle classes helped Johnson back in, but northern and Midlands working class too. Brexit supporters overwhelmingly voted conservative, but I guess there were a few exceptions.
@TARIQALI-pd4mj
3 жыл бұрын
@@harrowagenda21 I believe you. The question I posed was a different one...on the state of the EU and its components...