The Joy of Revolution & Related Texts - by Ken Knabb (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

"It may seem absurd to talk about revolution. But all the alternatives assume the continuation of the present system, which is even more absurd."

Best known for his meticulous translations of numerous works by Guy Debord and the Situationist International, Ken Knabb is also the author of numerous radical texts. The Joy of Revolution is widely considered his masterpiece. While there have been numerous histories of past revolutions and countless debates about the merits and drawbacks of different radical tactics, it would be difficult to name a single book that more clearly and concisely explores the problems and possibilities of a modern, situationist-type revolution.

Beginning with a brief overview of the absurdity of the present society and the failures of various efforts to change it, it examines the pros and cons of a wide range of radical tactics, first in the context of "normal" or "ordinary" conditions, then in the very different context of radical situations----those rare breakthroughs where numbers of people start to call everything into question and real change becomes possible. The book then concludes with some speculations on how a global liberated society might work, and what it might be like to live in.

For this new edition, Knabb has updated his book (originally published in 1997) and appended several of his more recent texts, including a series of articles on the Occupy movement, in which he was an enthusiastic participant.

Review Quotes

"I'd especially recommend this book for people who are sympathetic to the idea of a nonhierarchical, nonstatist society but who are skeptical of how, in practice, it could ever happen. Knabb gives a lot of pointers and demolishes some common bugbears along the way, and it is all written with his rare combination of readability and logicality and élan."
--Eugenia Lovelace, Red and Black

"Ken Knabb has so thoroughly assimilated French language and culture that I sometimes have the impression that I'm talking with a compatriot. He does, however, retain that eminently North American quality of speaking clearly and directly, without showing off his intelligence or drawing attention to himself. Does this mean that his work is a sort of 'Situationist International for Dummies'? No, although it could undeniably serve as such. Anyone who is unfamiliar with the Situationists, or radical critique, or the American counterculture should put his book at the very top of their reading list."
--Jean-Pierre Depétris, Gavroche: revue d'histoire populaire