Louise Michel

by Nic Maclellan (Editor), Louise Michel, Emma Goldman (Contributor)

Louise Michel was the incendiary leader of the Paris Commune in 1871, when the city’s population rose up to establish a short-lived workers’ government. Feminist, anarchist, and irrepressible rebel, “The Red Virgin” spent much of her life on the run, in exile, or in jail. Features commentaries by Emma Goldman, Bertolt Brecht, Sheila Rowbotham, Howard Zinn, Victor Hugo, and Karl Marx.

Genres: History, Biography, Nonfiction, Feminism, France

131 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2004

About the author

Nic Maclellan works as a journalist and researcher in the Pacific islands.

Reviews

[Individualfrog · Rating 3 out of 5]

More than half is not about Louise Michel at all, just the Paris Commune generally. It's a nice little (tiny) reader about that interesting subject, but not exactly what I was after when I opened a book called "Louise Michel".

I just watched the very strange Bruno Dumont Joan of Arc, which, similar to this book, uses as its text a good deal of primary sources, and I am struck by the extent to which the voices of Michel and Joan are similar to me. I imagine Michel would not be too pleased with the comparison, given her anticlericalism, but they were both compelled to grasp history in their hands, in defiance of the role dictated to their gender, and both were fearlessly defiant in the faces of the courts that judged them.

[F Line · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book. Nice and short, decent biography and filled with sources - most of which are writings by Louise Michel. One issue with the book is that I feel it dwells primarily on her life before and during the Paris Commune (as well as the context around that event), and less on her later life as an anarchist and what her opinions on anarchism and politics were (in general I felt the author was not particularly well read on anarchism). Likewise they quote extensively from her autobiography, but there is little to quoting from the anarchist, socialist and workers papers she supposedly wrote a lot for. Regardless a nice and short introduction, if your looking for something more in depth it might be worth going directly to her autobiography.

[Maria Gambale · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such a modest introduction to Michel’s life - disjointed and erratic and sparely organized - BUT does the job of whetting the appetite to learn more and introducing some other stunning texts. So, as a sampler, it has great merit.

[Ruthmiserico Ohoiwutun · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buku ini dipinjamkan oleh seorang kakak ketemu gede... Hehe.. dipinjamkan tetapi anehnya rasa memiliki saya cukup tinggi jadi tidak balik2 ke yang punya.

Buku ini keren habis, Loise Michel seorang perempuan yang tangguh dan kontraversial. Buat saya di Perempuan cerdas dan pemberani, hidup sezaman dengan Karl Marx, Frederick Angel, dan tokoh sosialis lainnya.

Dia adalah seorang Anarchi, keputusannya menjadi seorang Anarcho diambil nya sebagai paham dan ideologi yang dianut setelah ia di asingkan ke pasifik.

Dia hidup dipengasingan cukup lama, dia adalah Perempuan yang berada digaris depan sebagai tim kesehatan dalam kisah heroik revolusi di Paris, perancis.

Kerennya dalam buku ini ada surat-surat yang ditulis oleh para tokoh-tokoh terkenal untuknya. Dia adalah satu-satunya perempuan selain temannya Emma yg duduk dalam jajaran The Commune. Dia keren menurut saya.

Review lengan bisa kunjungi Channel YouTube saya di Miseriko Channel Papua. Sudah sy review buku2 yg telah habis saya baca.

Salam,
Rut

[Mari J · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved to learn more about Louise Michel and it's an interesting format - but only about a third of this 115 page book is her writing!! I do not need every famous leftist man's opinion on the Paris Commune in this. Loved what Emma Goldman wrote about her though, so beautiful!

[Edgar Cajero · Rating 5 out of 5]

Defensora de los trabajadores durante la invasión de Prusia a París y líder femenina con el coraje de enfrentar a las autoridades de manera astuta. La efímera Comuna de París es el resultado de la unión de losas trabajadores en busca de un mejor gobierno, donde la clase obrera no fuera la reprimida por las clases en el poder. Louise Michel líder femenina.

[Amanda Lancaster · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for primary sources about Louise Michel and the Commune more generally.