The January/ February 2010 issue of Direkte Aktion (no. 196) includes a review of Black Flame. Direkte Aktion is published by the German anarcho-syndicalist group, the Free Workers Union (Freien ArbeiterInnen-Union, FAU). The reviewer, Gabriel Kuhn, is editor of the forthcoming Gustav Landauer, Revolution and Other Writings: a political reader (PM Press, 2010).
Here are some translated quotes:
"With its more than 400 pages, Black Flame is a remarkable study of (social) anarchism's international history, and a reflection on key issues of organization, strategy, and tactics ...
"Considering the range and scope of the collected material, the book must count as a milestone, and it will without doubt claim its place in the canon of anarchist historiography. This is certainly well deserved. The book's international reach ... is exceptional and can only be compared to Max Nettlau's notes, with two main differences: van der Walt and Schmidt were able to collect much more material on Latin America, Asia, and Africa, and they had the time to work their data into an immaculately structured and highly readable narrative...
"In conclusion, the virtues of Black Flame are without question: it is an outstanding study, and highly recommended to all anarchists! Those who agree with the authors' definition of anarchism will rejoice. Those who don't will be challenged to assess their understanding of anarchism in relation to the syndicalist, anarcho-communist, and platformist traditions."
The German-language version is here
ReplyDeletehttp://www.direkteaktion.org/197/zundstoff-der-schwarzen-flamme