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The Bohemians: John Reed & His Friends Who Shook the World
Portrays the life and world of the twentieth-century socio-political activist and journalist from his childhood in Oregon through his involvement with Mabel Dodge, Louise Bryant, and the Russian revolution
358 pages, Hardcover
First published February 1, 1982
9 people want to read
About the author
Alan Cheuse
63 books47 followersAmerican writer and critic.
For more than two decades, Alan Cheuse has served as NPRs voice of books. He is the author of three novels, including The Grandmothers Club and The Light Possessed, several collections of short stories, and a pair of novellas recently published in The Fires. He is also the editor of Seeing Ourselves: Great Early American Short Stories and co-editor of Writers Workshop in a Book. Stories and co-editor of Writers Workshop in a Book."
Forthcoming in March, 2015, the novel
Prayers for the Living...
Born in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, Cheuse grew up in a Jewish family, the son of a Russian immigrant father and a mother of Russian and Romanian descent
For more than two decades, Alan Cheuse has served as NPRs voice of books. He is the author of three novels, including The Grandmothers Club and The Light Possessed, several collections of short stories, and a pair of novellas recently published in The Fires. He is also the editor of Seeing Ourselves: Great Early American Short Stories and co-editor of Writers Workshop in a Book. Stories and co-editor of Writers Workshop in a Book."
Forthcoming in March, 2015, the novel
Prayers for the Living...
Born in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, Cheuse grew up in a Jewish family, the son of a Russian immigrant father and a mother of Russian and Romanian descent
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December 2, 2020
Alan Cheuse’s 1982 lyrical biography of John Reed is mistitled. While the title refers to Reed’s fellow travelers of the cultural and political upheaval that took place during the first decades of the 20th century, it is Reed’s life story that Cheuse has told no doubt because Reed in many respects was one of the main players in that era’s story.
Reed is best known for his Ten Days That Shook the World, the story of the Communist takeover of the Russian Revolution. Before travelling to Russia where he passed away in October 1920 from typhus, however, he had chronicled for alternative magazines like The Masses, the labor movement wars in the U.S. and the rise of the socialist movement in the U.S. He also wrote about and campaigned vigorously against U.S. involvement in World War I.
Cheuse’ fictionalized version relies heavily on Reed’s poetic output as well as the poetry and writings of his contemporaries. Doing so enables him to capture the essence of the time and of the man. I should note that Cheuse doesn’t sugarcoat Reed’s relationships with women––in particular with the wife with whom he had a tumultuous marriage, but in 1982 we weren’t yet judging the past solely by contemporary values. To obtain a clear picture of a complex man in an important period in America’s past, The Bohemians is a worthwhile read.
Reed is best known for his Ten Days That Shook the World, the story of the Communist takeover of the Russian Revolution. Before travelling to Russia where he passed away in October 1920 from typhus, however, he had chronicled for alternative magazines like The Masses, the labor movement wars in the U.S. and the rise of the socialist movement in the U.S. He also wrote about and campaigned vigorously against U.S. involvement in World War I.
Cheuse’ fictionalized version relies heavily on Reed’s poetic output as well as the poetry and writings of his contemporaries. Doing so enables him to capture the essence of the time and of the man. I should note that Cheuse doesn’t sugarcoat Reed’s relationships with women––in particular with the wife with whom he had a tumultuous marriage, but in 1982 we weren’t yet judging the past solely by contemporary values. To obtain a clear picture of a complex man in an important period in America’s past, The Bohemians is a worthwhile read.
Displaying 1 of 1 review