Hi folks,

Today we’ll be discussing:

Make Way for Winged Eros - Alexandra Kollontai

Today’s discussion is:

  • 1/25 - Make Way for Winged Eros - Alexandra Kollontai

I’m reading the copy from Marxists.org:
https://www.marxists.org/archive/kollonta/1923/winged-eros.htm

Discussion Prompts

These are some ideas to address while considering this work. None of them are essential, and any of your own thoughts are very much welcome! I’ll be adding my own thoughts later today.

  • What seems to be the main point of this work? What question is Kollontai trying to answer?

  • What has she missed? Is she wrong about anything?

  • Did anything surprise you?

  • Is this work applicable outside of the conditions of the early USSR?

  • Is this really a “nonessential” or would it be good for any communist to read it?

Next Discussion

The next book will be:

  • 2/1 - The Red Deal - Red Media. - discussion 1.
  • 2/8 - The Red Deal - Red Media - discussion 2.

I haven’t gotten my copy yet, so those discussions may change once I see how long it is.

I’d appreciate a line on a free e-copy if you’ve got one. I’ll probably purchase it here: https://www.commonnotions.org/red-media

Next Title

If you would like to suggest the next title please put in a separate comment with the words “submission suggestion”. I think the highest voted title should win.

Books should be:

  • not suggested for beginners.
  • not overly technical or philosophical (I’m just not smart enough to lead those discussions).
  • relatively short (so as not to lose too much momentum).
  • regionally or subject specific (like Che’s Guerilla Warfare is topically specific, or Decolonization is Not a Metaphor is regionally specific?).
  • readily available.

Thanks for your time! :)

  • @redtea
    link
    31 year ago

    @simply_surprise@lemmygrad.ml I found the PDF. It’s a little difficult to find. It’s under the Political Ed section of therednation.org, under Environmental Justice.

    Here’s a direct link: https://therednation.org/environmental-justice/ – look under ‘Articles: The Red Deal’.

    I’ve had a quick look and the PDF doesn’t quite match the book, as follows.

    • The Red Deal book has an intro, three ‘parts’, a conclusion, and an appendix.
    • The PDF version is in three parts (three PDFs). These are more-or-less the same as the three parts that make up the middle / bulk of the book (there are some editorial differences, but these seem minor). At the start of each PDF, there is some of the text from the book’s introduction or the appendix.

    So if one were to read the three PDFs or the book, I think they would get the same information. But they might not get it in the same order.

    The parts are:

    1. I. Divest: End the occupation
    2. II. Heal our bodies: Reinvest in our common humanity
    3. III. Heal our planet: Reinvest in our common future

    The ‘other material’ (from the book’s appendix or the start of the PDFs) includes:

    1. Four principles
    2. Who we are
    3. Principles of unity
    4. Areas of struggle
    5. 10-point plan (I can’t see this in the book)

    So for a reading group, to ensure people with the book or PDFs can talk about the same material, it makes sense to focus on Parts I, II, or III, then advise readers to read what they can of the other material. Does that make sense?

    • diegeticscream[all]🔻OP
      link
      21 year ago

      Hi! Thank you so much for finding an e-copy! I was hoping to have mine by now, but I think shipping will take a little longer.

      I think it makes sense to split this into 3 discussions, 1 for each part. We can talk about part 1 on Wednesday!

      • @redtea
        link
        21 year ago

        Perfect. At risk of fetishising a commodity, it’s a gorgeous book, too.