Damned Fools in Utopia

Overview

A history of activism from a great 20th-century thinker

A hefty collection of noted anarchist Nicolas Walter’s writings, this history recounts the anarchist and peace movements in the United Kingdom alongside the author’s adventures through activism. Inspired by the Suez and Hungarian Revolutions and his participation in the New Left, Walter became an anarchist and proponent of the freethought movement. Recounting his personal history in two autobiographical pieces, the author reflects on his militant involvement in the British nuclear disarmament movement, his experience as one of the Spies of Peace, and his connection to the Solidarity group. As an activist, Walter concurrently analyzed history, political theory, and activist practices, which he combined to form the backbone upon which he built his beliefs. Also included are musings on various intellectual and political figures such as George Orwell, Herbert Read, C. W. Daniel, and Guy A. Aldred, in addition to ruminations on the atheism and rationalism and the limitations of academia.

Reviews

"Damned Fools in Utopia is full of grand ideas and formulations. In the end, though, it's a book of vision, an assertion that another world is possible." —www.powells.com

Author Biography

Nicolas Walter was one of the best-known and mostly widely read anarchist writers of the last half century. He is the author of About Anarchism. David Goodway is a British social and cultural historian who has written principally on anarchism and libertarian socialism for 20 years. He is the editor of various collections and the author of For Workers’ Powers.