Love, Anarchy, & Emma Goldman: A Biography

by Candace Falk and Candace Serena Falk

Book Overview

Candace Falk's biography captures Goldman's colorful life as a social and labor reformer, revolutionary, anarchist, feminist, agitator for free love and free speech, and advocate of birth control. And it gives the reader a rare glimpse into Goldman as a woman, alone, searching for the intimacy of a love relationship to match her radiant social vision. Falk explores the clash between Goldman's public vision and private life, focusing on her intimate...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0813515130
• ISBN13: 9780813515137
• Release Date: March 1990
• Publisher: Rutgers University Press
• Length: 416 Pages
• Weight: 1.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.1" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

A Successful and Tasteful Biography

Candace Falk, the official biographer of EG, delivers a compelling and tactful account of EG's personal life and its conflicts versus her high standards for living that she lectured on. Falk stumbled upon EG's letters to Reitman through a friend, and took it upon herself to edit and organize the letters into a kind, yet considerably objective biography. Falk addresses inconsistencies in life, love, and lecture without forcing a bias upon the reader. Though at times waxing over-poetic to the point of absurdity (which is understandable with the subject matter and quality of personal letters between Reitman and EG), Falk's "Mission Statement" of the book was to deliver to readers a biography and examination of the letters that is tasteful without hurting EG's image, and accomplished just that. EG's life was a struggle of fighting for social justice, while frustrated with her own tendency to get stuck in the grains of tradition and feeling inadequate and unfulfilled (as in her relationship with Reitman). Falk skillfully shares the intimate details of EG's love life and blunders with the care of an adoring daughter. This book is well worth the read even with its occasional flaw (or in this edition, the proliferation of spelling errors towards the end of the book). Overall, Falk pays just respects to the Mother of Anarchism. Highly recommended.