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McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern #73
McSweeney's Issue 73: Manifesto
McSweeney’s three-time National Magazine Award–winning quarterly returns with a subjective and selective group of manifestos, all from the twentieth century and onward, all roaring with outrage and plans for a better world. Featuring life- and history-changing works from André Breton, Bertrand Russell, Valerie Solanas, Huey Newton, John Lee Clark, Dadaists, Futurists, Communists, Personists, and many more past and future -ists, plus brand-new work from brilliant radical thinkers Eileen Myles and James Hannaham. Let this incendiary collection light your whole world on fire.
- GenresNonfiction
100 pages, Hardcover
Published April 18, 2024
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36 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
May 26, 2024
I wasn't convinced that an issue dedicated to reprints of historic manifestoes (plus a couple of new ones) would be of interest. But I was wrong.
Some are clearly slightly demented by today's standards (The Futuristic Manifesto, SCUM), whilst others such as the Black Panther manifesto are sadly still relevant today.
I was surprised by the poor typing of the Gay Manifesto.
As strident as they are some of these documents still have a certain power.
Some are clearly slightly demented by today's standards (The Futuristic Manifesto, SCUM), whilst others such as the Black Panther manifesto are sadly still relevant today.
I was surprised by the poor typing of the Gay Manifesto.
As strident as they are some of these documents still have a certain power.
April 19, 2024
A very different McSweeney's this quarter that combine historical and modern manifestos on a wide variety of subject matter. It's really fascinating to view these through a modern lens, to look at how little has changed, at colonialism, racism, misogyny, homophobia, voices have been screaming for change for so long, are still screaming. Reading this volume was as enlightening as it was frustrating and I have to hope that we are making progress, and that manifestos like these will keep pushing us forward.
November 12, 2024
A collection of 25 manifestos from 1909 to 2023, with a good chunk of them, ten, coming from the 50’s and 60’s. There are some real standouts here, but this is also an uneven collection, and it got a little tiring reading the polemics especially when they were long. The format was big and bold, fitting the content, but the Historical Context and Notes on the Authors at the end was terribly presented – small white font on all red paper that was very difficult to read, a poor editorial choice. All in all, on the strength of the more inspiring efforts and the spirit of the thing, a reasonably good read.
Best of the bunch:
Dada Manifesto (1918), by Tristan Tzara, which so eloquently makes the argument for the inherent subjectivity of art, and the need for artwork that is independent, spontaneous, and defies logic.
Second Declaration of Havana (1962), by Fidel Castro, which points out the imperialistic sins of the United States in Latin America, its undermining of free elections counter to its theoretical ideals, and exerting a force “more powerful and cruel than the Spanish colonial empire.” He of course conveniently avoids his own issues with human rights and the authoritarian nature of other communist regimes, and also plays fast and loose with facts and figures, but it was a perspective shift as he laid out his case.
Double Jeopardy: To Be Black and Female (1969), by Frances M. Beal, which felt ahead of its time, and certainly poignant reading in light of Kamala Harris’s defeat in the Presidential election.
The Gay Manifesto (1970), by Carl Wittman, which while I wish hadn’t been presented in its original typewritten form (as the copy was at hard times to read), stood out for how pioneering it was, how it defied putting all gay people under one stereotypical umbrella, and how he related to other oppressed groups. He also comments on sex: “I like to think of good sex in terms of playing violin: with both people on one level seeing the other body as an object capable of breathing beauty when they play it well; and on a second level the players communicating through the mutual production and appreciation of beauty.”
The Combahee River Collective Statement (1977), which laid out the case for black feminism, and whose line “…how little value has been placed upon our lives…” resonated decades before BLM. It also called out racism in the white women’s movement and misogyny in the black power movement, quoting a pamphlet from the latter with very regressive content, starting with the line “We understand that it is and has been traditional that the man is the head of the house.”
Why Cheap Art? (1984), by Peter Schumann, a one page manifesto that felt spontaneously written, but whose lines like “Art is not a business!” certainly rang true.
The Advantages of Being a Woman Artist (1988) by Guerilla Girls, also a one-pager, which humorously skewered the power structures and biases women artists face.
I Want a President (1992) by Zoe Leonard, still another one-pager, but whose words certainly felt apt in the age of Trump: “I want to know why we started learning somewhere down the line that a president is always a clown: always a john and never a hooker. Always a boss and never a worker, always a liar, always a thief and never caught.”
Press Conference for a Tree (2023) by Eileen Myles, whose free form verse criticizes both very local events in New York City politics and park planning, but also the larger context of a colonial capitalist mindset.
The ones I disliked:
The Manifesto of Futurism (1909), by Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, who among other things vows to glorify war, destroy museums and libraries, and fight against feminists and the “fetid cancer” of professors. It’s notable that a decade later, he wrote the Fascist Manifesto and became an active supporter of Mussolini.
Manifesto of Surrealism (1924), by Andre Breton, which aside from being far too long at 42 pages, is tediously written and unfortunately unedited, because he eschews polish, which shows. At the heart of it his commentary on channeling the subconscious and avoiding reasoning in artwork has its merits, but there is too much other chaff surrounding it, e.g. very dated views on mental illness and Freudian interpretation of dreams, a critique of Dostoevsky’s writing, etc.
S.C.U.M. Manifesto (1967), by Valerie Solanis, which is 20 long pages of hate-filled ranting against men, generalizing the entire sex into the enemy, and making ridiculous assertions like “There is no human reason for money or for anyone to work.”
Best of the bunch:
Dada Manifesto (1918), by Tristan Tzara, which so eloquently makes the argument for the inherent subjectivity of art, and the need for artwork that is independent, spontaneous, and defies logic.
Second Declaration of Havana (1962), by Fidel Castro, which points out the imperialistic sins of the United States in Latin America, its undermining of free elections counter to its theoretical ideals, and exerting a force “more powerful and cruel than the Spanish colonial empire.” He of course conveniently avoids his own issues with human rights and the authoritarian nature of other communist regimes, and also plays fast and loose with facts and figures, but it was a perspective shift as he laid out his case.
Double Jeopardy: To Be Black and Female (1969), by Frances M. Beal, which felt ahead of its time, and certainly poignant reading in light of Kamala Harris’s defeat in the Presidential election.
The Gay Manifesto (1970), by Carl Wittman, which while I wish hadn’t been presented in its original typewritten form (as the copy was at hard times to read), stood out for how pioneering it was, how it defied putting all gay people under one stereotypical umbrella, and how he related to other oppressed groups. He also comments on sex: “I like to think of good sex in terms of playing violin: with both people on one level seeing the other body as an object capable of breathing beauty when they play it well; and on a second level the players communicating through the mutual production and appreciation of beauty.”
The Combahee River Collective Statement (1977), which laid out the case for black feminism, and whose line “…how little value has been placed upon our lives…” resonated decades before BLM. It also called out racism in the white women’s movement and misogyny in the black power movement, quoting a pamphlet from the latter with very regressive content, starting with the line “We understand that it is and has been traditional that the man is the head of the house.”
Why Cheap Art? (1984), by Peter Schumann, a one page manifesto that felt spontaneously written, but whose lines like “Art is not a business!” certainly rang true.
The Advantages of Being a Woman Artist (1988) by Guerilla Girls, also a one-pager, which humorously skewered the power structures and biases women artists face.
I Want a President (1992) by Zoe Leonard, still another one-pager, but whose words certainly felt apt in the age of Trump: “I want to know why we started learning somewhere down the line that a president is always a clown: always a john and never a hooker. Always a boss and never a worker, always a liar, always a thief and never caught.”
Press Conference for a Tree (2023) by Eileen Myles, whose free form verse criticizes both very local events in New York City politics and park planning, but also the larger context of a colonial capitalist mindset.
The ones I disliked:
The Manifesto of Futurism (1909), by Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, who among other things vows to glorify war, destroy museums and libraries, and fight against feminists and the “fetid cancer” of professors. It’s notable that a decade later, he wrote the Fascist Manifesto and became an active supporter of Mussolini.
Manifesto of Surrealism (1924), by Andre Breton, which aside from being far too long at 42 pages, is tediously written and unfortunately unedited, because he eschews polish, which shows. At the heart of it his commentary on channeling the subconscious and avoiding reasoning in artwork has its merits, but there is too much other chaff surrounding it, e.g. very dated views on mental illness and Freudian interpretation of dreams, a critique of Dostoevsky’s writing, etc.
S.C.U.M. Manifesto (1967), by Valerie Solanis, which is 20 long pages of hate-filled ranting against men, generalizing the entire sex into the enemy, and making ridiculous assertions like “There is no human reason for money or for anyone to work.”
April 29, 2024
i once subscribed to mcsweeneys & tried to like the fiction but, frankly, it’s the nonfiction that i adore and will buy in single copy. Loved the end of trust and snapped this HUGE book up immediately when i saw it in a neighborhood book store. ive read many of the manifestos inside before but what a well edited and designed collection
December 9, 2024
This is an amazing book. There are two manifesto's that I had not read before that were massively impactful. I assume most of this stuff is online for free as historically relevant, but this collection is very well put together, easy to read, and well worth the cost. Recommended strongly for folks interested in politics.
April 27, 2025
Not necessarily something you'd want to read all straight through like a conventional book as I did, but a very interesting volume none the less comprising ideological essays proclaiming a willingness to implement social change. A really valuable work to become inspired or expand your mind. What's your manifesto?
May 2, 2024
Oh, my beloved McSweeney’s, you got it so right this time! This volume is a treasure of human thought and a delight just to hold. Well edited, beautifully designed - will be returning to it often for inspiration. Bravo!
October 19, 2024
This is a really interesting collection of pieces presented in chronological order that causes the reader to contemplate the trajectory of social justice movements over time and their overlap and interactions.
January 2, 2025
An interesting assortment of manifestos ... eclectic and thought-provoking.
June 6, 2024
A collection of 20 and 21st century manifestos on art, war, revolution and sexual politics. The manifestos are arranged in chronological order, so a light hearted blast like Frank O'Hara's "Personism: A Manifesto" is followed by Fidel Castro's earthshaking "Second Declaration of Havana." The arrangement works perfectly, demonstrating the diverse passions and immense range of causes that changed the world over the last 150 years. All of the documents are beautifully presented, with the original designs showcased everywhere it matters - if the statement was originally presented in a newspaper, as a broadside, or in Powerpoint presentation, that format is preserved here. Such a brilliant but simple idea, I'm surprised no one has done this before. I'm admittedly a fan of McSweeney's Quarterly, and have been a subscriber since forever. Even so, this is a great issue, one of my very favorites, and deserves a place in your reference library whether or not you're a regular reader.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews