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The Bomb
Over 100 years ago the infamous Haymarket affair in Chicago pierced the world with news of what would now be characterized as “terrorist violence.” In the Haymarket incident, a bomb killed police gathered to club and maul labor protesters. And although the police could not find the man who threw the bomb, labor and anarchist leaders were found guilty in a notoriously ugly trial, and several were actually hanged.
Frank Harris’ novel comes from the point-of-view of the uncaught bomb-thrower, a German immigrant in love with the extreme political tactics of the notorious anarchist Louis Lingg.
The Feral House edition of The Bomb contains an afterword by anarchist thinker John Zerzan, and an anti-anarchist introduction by novelist John Dos Passos.
“This book is, in truth, a masterpiece; so intense is the impression that one almost asks, ‘Is this a novel or confession? Did not Frank Harris perhaps throw the bomb?’ At least he has thrown one now… the best novel I have ever read.”
— Aleister Crowley, occultist
Frank Harris’ novel comes from the point-of-view of the uncaught bomb-thrower, a German immigrant in love with the extreme political tactics of the notorious anarchist Louis Lingg.
The Feral House edition of The Bomb contains an afterword by anarchist thinker John Zerzan, and an anti-anarchist introduction by novelist John Dos Passos.
“This book is, in truth, a masterpiece; so intense is the impression that one almost asks, ‘Is this a novel or confession? Did not Frank Harris perhaps throw the bomb?’ At least he has thrown one now… the best novel I have ever read.”
— Aleister Crowley, occultist
213 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1908
7 people are currently reading
263 people want to read
About the author
Frank Harris
267 books22 followersLibrarian Note:
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Frank Harris was an editor, journalist and publisher, who was friendly with many well-known figures of his day. Born in Ireland, he emigrated to America early in life, working in a variety of unskilled jobs before attending the University of Kansas to read law. He eventually became a citizen there. After graduation he quickly tired of his legal career and returned to Europe in 1882.
He travelled on continental Europe before settling in London to pursue a career in journalism. Though he attracted much attention during his life for his irascible, aggressive personality, editorship of famous periodicals, and friendship with the talented and famous, he is remembered mainly for his multiple-volume memoir My Life and Loves, which was banned in countries around the world for its sexual explicitness.
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Frank Harris was an editor, journalist and publisher, who was friendly with many well-known figures of his day. Born in Ireland, he emigrated to America early in life, working in a variety of unskilled jobs before attending the University of Kansas to read law. He eventually became a citizen there. After graduation he quickly tired of his legal career and returned to Europe in 1882.
He travelled on continental Europe before settling in London to pursue a career in journalism. Though he attracted much attention during his life for his irascible, aggressive personality, editorship of famous periodicals, and friendship with the talented and famous, he is remembered mainly for his multiple-volume memoir My Life and Loves, which was banned in countries around the world for its sexual explicitness.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
February 25, 2024
I may be a tad over-kind with that fourth star, but this is a fascinating novel which, if not really, really good, is still well worth one’s attention. Basically a history book written in the first person by an impostor, it recounts the notorious anarchist bomb thrown in Chicago’s Haymarket (or thereabouts) in the 1880s. Surprisingly—if you, like me, are attracted to an anarchist historical novel—is how well written is the love story there embedded. It’s not so surprising when you know that the novel was written by the notorious Frank Harris, he of the Grove press pornographic Victorian classic sex memoir, My Life and Loves.
The history is also handled quite well, as far as I can tell, if perhaps a tad dry here and there, since Harris meticulously takes us through the events leading up to the bomb throwing and then through its after-effects, from A to B to C without much artistry. Perhaps that’s a willful strategy though. The narrative is mostly functional if not original or all that alluring aesthetically. I did find myself looking ahead to see how many pages until the next chapter. Mostly, though, I was riveted, fascinated to hear the story of the actual event and the kangaroo court that followed. I’m always interested in learning more about political dissent in the USA pre-WWII having grown up with ‘40s-era parents, born myself during the height of the Cold War mid-Cuban missile crisis, just as baby boom eased into Gen X. It’s hard to believe now there was ever so many soapboxes and brave souls who stood on them in American cities preaching Marx, socialism, and anarchy. I never much trusted the Hippies and they were considerably less committed, it seems to me, to real working class problems. Hence my generation’s healthy punk rock skepticism of that strategy. Or maybe we were just assholes who wanted our own “movement.” It amounts to the same thing, I guess.
Philosophically The Bomb treats of the topic of my first novel (Inbetween) a bit, without really espousing one philosophy or another, that is to say it brings up the conflict between philosophies of armed and passive resistance to state coercion/the state’s monopoly on violence/the state’s abuse of power. The Bomb lets its characters do the talking on this topic quite well so we hear both the committed reasoning in favor of subversive violence to fight institutional violence, terrorism as a tool to combat the state’s monopoly on force, as well as the cry for passive resistance, martyrdom, and critical mass strategies to gain ground against tyranny. The novel even lets us experience the stages of decision, action, sickness, remorse, and eventual certainty of the narrator—he who throws the bomb and dismembers 8 policemen on the spot, wounding many others. All in all I found The Bomb a thoughtful ride well worth taking.
The history is also handled quite well, as far as I can tell, if perhaps a tad dry here and there, since Harris meticulously takes us through the events leading up to the bomb throwing and then through its after-effects, from A to B to C without much artistry. Perhaps that’s a willful strategy though. The narrative is mostly functional if not original or all that alluring aesthetically. I did find myself looking ahead to see how many pages until the next chapter. Mostly, though, I was riveted, fascinated to hear the story of the actual event and the kangaroo court that followed. I’m always interested in learning more about political dissent in the USA pre-WWII having grown up with ‘40s-era parents, born myself during the height of the Cold War mid-Cuban missile crisis, just as baby boom eased into Gen X. It’s hard to believe now there was ever so many soapboxes and brave souls who stood on them in American cities preaching Marx, socialism, and anarchy. I never much trusted the Hippies and they were considerably less committed, it seems to me, to real working class problems. Hence my generation’s healthy punk rock skepticism of that strategy. Or maybe we were just assholes who wanted our own “movement.” It amounts to the same thing, I guess.
Philosophically The Bomb treats of the topic of my first novel (Inbetween) a bit, without really espousing one philosophy or another, that is to say it brings up the conflict between philosophies of armed and passive resistance to state coercion/the state’s monopoly on violence/the state’s abuse of power. The Bomb lets its characters do the talking on this topic quite well so we hear both the committed reasoning in favor of subversive violence to fight institutional violence, terrorism as a tool to combat the state’s monopoly on force, as well as the cry for passive resistance, martyrdom, and critical mass strategies to gain ground against tyranny. The novel even lets us experience the stages of decision, action, sickness, remorse, and eventual certainty of the narrator—he who throws the bomb and dismembers 8 policemen on the spot, wounding many others. All in all I found The Bomb a thoughtful ride well worth taking.
December 3, 2025
The other reviews of this book are pissing me off. This is a great novel and way more people should be reading it. I have better taste than any of you. The politics being awesome is a bonus. If you don’t like this book you’re a pussy.
June 10, 2019
The Bomb by Frank Harris is a novelized account of the Haymarket Riot and bombing in Chicago during the 1880s. Narrated by Rudolph Schnaubelt, a real suspect in the actual event, we get a point by point account of his life and what led up to the bombing that kills 60 police officers or so. It is definitely a book with strengths and weaknesses.
Schnaubelt emigrates from his native Germany to New York City where he goes through the trials of doing brutal construction work at low rates of pay. His life gets better when he starts writing articles for a German socialist newspaper. He is not happy with his life so he moves on to Chicago and continues building his career as a journalist. It is there that Schnaubelt meets Elsie, a young, pretty woman who he pursues throughout most of the story. Elsie, however, hates political radicalism and often defends the capitalist system even though she and her mother live in poverty. Their relationship is melodramatic. There are long conversations between the two where they can not decide whether they want to be together or not. They do a lot of kissing, caressing, and embracing. That much of it is tedious and it started to seem possible that Schnaubelt's desire to bomb a police squadron was partially a result of sexual frustration. That would be symbolic, though, and Harris did not seem to be interested in using symbolism in this particular novel.
Rudolph Schnaubelt, as a journalist, begins attending socialist and labor union meetings and eventually ends up at an anarchist club where he befriends Louis Lingg, another German immigrant and labor leader with a dream to see fair rates of pay, an end to child labor, and an eight hour work day. In Lingg's apartment, the narrator finds books about chemistry and soon it is revealed that his friend is planning on making bombs to fight the police. Lingg is described as a magnanimous man, larger than life in his care for the working poor and the oppressed immigrant population (At that time, white European immigrants were feared, hated and scapegoated the way Latino immigrants are now which makes you wonder how the ancestors of immigrants could be just as bad as the people who treated their forefathers like dirt. Those who do not learn the lessons of history...). But Schnaubelt's praise for Lingg does not match up directly with the man as he is depicted; his thoughts and speeches are vague and weak and his presence in the novel is diminutive in comparison to Schnaubelt's first person subjective narration. Another of the novel's flaws is that Harris could not portray Lingg with the strength that he actually thought that character had.
Frank Harris's sentences are wooden and he writes with a limited vocabulary range but his prose is not nearly as terrible as Ayn Rand's. There are times when this works to his advantage though; this writing style does not help the way the relationships are described but it does work well when describing the lives of immigrant laborers who lived stark, bleak lives. And the descriptions of the riots and police brutality involved really are vivid and frightening.
Despite all these flaws, there is one thing that Harris got right in The Bomb and that is the narrator, Rudolph Schnaubelt, himself. While the prose may not always be dynamic, the inner life of the narrator is. From his subjective viewpoint we see him transform through out life from a naive immigrant, to a disillusioned journalist, to a frustrated lover and on to the point where, after seeing a teenage girl get shot by police at a labor union rally, he becomes an anarchist bomb-thrower and fugitive from justice. His moral conflicts about the terrorist act are well-developed and makes him succeed as the main character where other people in the story come off as two-dimensional and sentimental.
It is interesting that The Bomb is still being read more than one hundred years after its publication considering it is not a masterpiece of a novel and Frank Harris is, at best, a minor literary figure. It is probably the enduring interest in the labor unrest and union movements of the late 19th century that are keeping it alive. Or maybe it is the novel's raw humanity itself; after all, your ordinary person tends to be sentimental and melodramatic and very few people actually are good story-tellers. The narrative is accessible and the moral ambiguity is something that many people can relate to. Maybe, for these reasons, this novel succeeds, in some ways, accidentally.
https://grimhistory.blogspot.com/
Schnaubelt emigrates from his native Germany to New York City where he goes through the trials of doing brutal construction work at low rates of pay. His life gets better when he starts writing articles for a German socialist newspaper. He is not happy with his life so he moves on to Chicago and continues building his career as a journalist. It is there that Schnaubelt meets Elsie, a young, pretty woman who he pursues throughout most of the story. Elsie, however, hates political radicalism and often defends the capitalist system even though she and her mother live in poverty. Their relationship is melodramatic. There are long conversations between the two where they can not decide whether they want to be together or not. They do a lot of kissing, caressing, and embracing. That much of it is tedious and it started to seem possible that Schnaubelt's desire to bomb a police squadron was partially a result of sexual frustration. That would be symbolic, though, and Harris did not seem to be interested in using symbolism in this particular novel.
Rudolph Schnaubelt, as a journalist, begins attending socialist and labor union meetings and eventually ends up at an anarchist club where he befriends Louis Lingg, another German immigrant and labor leader with a dream to see fair rates of pay, an end to child labor, and an eight hour work day. In Lingg's apartment, the narrator finds books about chemistry and soon it is revealed that his friend is planning on making bombs to fight the police. Lingg is described as a magnanimous man, larger than life in his care for the working poor and the oppressed immigrant population (At that time, white European immigrants were feared, hated and scapegoated the way Latino immigrants are now which makes you wonder how the ancestors of immigrants could be just as bad as the people who treated their forefathers like dirt. Those who do not learn the lessons of history...). But Schnaubelt's praise for Lingg does not match up directly with the man as he is depicted; his thoughts and speeches are vague and weak and his presence in the novel is diminutive in comparison to Schnaubelt's first person subjective narration. Another of the novel's flaws is that Harris could not portray Lingg with the strength that he actually thought that character had.
Frank Harris's sentences are wooden and he writes with a limited vocabulary range but his prose is not nearly as terrible as Ayn Rand's. There are times when this works to his advantage though; this writing style does not help the way the relationships are described but it does work well when describing the lives of immigrant laborers who lived stark, bleak lives. And the descriptions of the riots and police brutality involved really are vivid and frightening.
Despite all these flaws, there is one thing that Harris got right in The Bomb and that is the narrator, Rudolph Schnaubelt, himself. While the prose may not always be dynamic, the inner life of the narrator is. From his subjective viewpoint we see him transform through out life from a naive immigrant, to a disillusioned journalist, to a frustrated lover and on to the point where, after seeing a teenage girl get shot by police at a labor union rally, he becomes an anarchist bomb-thrower and fugitive from justice. His moral conflicts about the terrorist act are well-developed and makes him succeed as the main character where other people in the story come off as two-dimensional and sentimental.
It is interesting that The Bomb is still being read more than one hundred years after its publication considering it is not a masterpiece of a novel and Frank Harris is, at best, a minor literary figure. It is probably the enduring interest in the labor unrest and union movements of the late 19th century that are keeping it alive. Or maybe it is the novel's raw humanity itself; after all, your ordinary person tends to be sentimental and melodramatic and very few people actually are good story-tellers. The narrative is accessible and the moral ambiguity is something that many people can relate to. Maybe, for these reasons, this novel succeeds, in some ways, accidentally.
https://grimhistory.blogspot.com/
November 6, 2013
Detaylı Yorum İçin: http://bookowski101.blogspot.com/2013...
Frank Harris'in "Bomba" adlı kitabı konusu itibariyle bazılarınıza sıkıcı görünebilir; ancak öyle değil işte. Okudukça devamını, neler olacağını merakla bekliyorsunuz. Kimi zaman ana karakterin Elsie adında bir kadına olan aşkının anlatılışı sizi bir erkeğin kaleminden çıkmış olduğu konusunda şaşırtıyor, kimi zaman dönemin kapitalist düşüncesi ile yapılan acımasız uygulamalarının ete kemiğe bürünüp adeta gözlerinizin önündeymişçesine yaşandığına şahit oluyorsunuz ve ister istemez ürperiyorsunuz.
Kitapta, Rudolph Schnaubelt adlı bir gencin "daha iyi bir gelecek uğruna" Amerika'ya gelmesi, eğitimli bir genç olarak burada sefaletin en dibine düşüp geçici işlerde çalışırken kötü koşullar yüzünden yitip giden hayatlara şahit olması, Sosyalist bir örgüte girmesi, burada Louis Lingg adlı bir "anarşist" ile tanışması ve hayatını tamamen değiştirecek olan "bomba"yı atması anlatılıyor. Rudolph diye biri yazarın uydurduğu bir kurgu karakter; ancak Rudolph ile biz bir yabancının Amerikan Vatandaşı olma arzusuna, Özgürlükler Ülkesi'nde iyi şartlarda yaşama ideallerine, aşkı tatmasına, haksızlıklara kalemi ve en sonunda elleriyle karşı çıkmasına tanık oluyoruz.
Frank Harris'in "Bomba" adlı kitabı konusu itibariyle bazılarınıza sıkıcı görünebilir; ancak öyle değil işte. Okudukça devamını, neler olacağını merakla bekliyorsunuz. Kimi zaman ana karakterin Elsie adında bir kadına olan aşkının anlatılışı sizi bir erkeğin kaleminden çıkmış olduğu konusunda şaşırtıyor, kimi zaman dönemin kapitalist düşüncesi ile yapılan acımasız uygulamalarının ete kemiğe bürünüp adeta gözlerinizin önündeymişçesine yaşandığına şahit oluyorsunuz ve ister istemez ürperiyorsunuz.
Kitapta, Rudolph Schnaubelt adlı bir gencin "daha iyi bir gelecek uğruna" Amerika'ya gelmesi, eğitimli bir genç olarak burada sefaletin en dibine düşüp geçici işlerde çalışırken kötü koşullar yüzünden yitip giden hayatlara şahit olması, Sosyalist bir örgüte girmesi, burada Louis Lingg adlı bir "anarşist" ile tanışması ve hayatını tamamen değiştirecek olan "bomba"yı atması anlatılıyor. Rudolph diye biri yazarın uydurduğu bir kurgu karakter; ancak Rudolph ile biz bir yabancının Amerikan Vatandaşı olma arzusuna, Özgürlükler Ülkesi'nde iyi şartlarda yaşama ideallerine, aşkı tatmasına, haksızlıklara kalemi ve en sonunda elleriyle karşı çıkmasına tanık oluyoruz.
October 22, 2023
Aleister Crowley wrote: “This book is, in truth, a masterpiece; so intense is the impression that one almost asks, 'Is this a novel or a confession? Did not Frank Harris perhaps throw the bomb?' At least he has thrown one now… This is the best novel I have ever read.”
Not only were Harris and Crowley good friends, The Magic Glasses (Emma Goldman's favorite story by Harris) was published in Crowley's Equinox.
It is this book that inspired Crowley to write the chapter in The Book of Lies titled Louis Lingg.
Not only were Harris and Crowley good friends, The Magic Glasses (Emma Goldman's favorite story by Harris) was published in Crowley's Equinox.
It is this book that inspired Crowley to write the chapter in The Book of Lies titled Louis Lingg.
December 28, 2022
Amazing
February 14, 2023
Meh, not great, but not bad either
September 22, 2023
Solid, sympathetic historical fiction revolving around the Haymarket Square martyrs and their milieu. Slightly queer coded, possibly.
March 13, 2024
One of my favorite books, such a beautiful story of anarchist (state) violence and love
June 25, 2017
Chicago, Haymarket Square, 4 mai 1886 : alors que s'achève un meeting politique réunissant des centaines d'ouvriers, la police lance un assaut brutal pour disperser la foule. Soudain, une bombe explose, tuant huit policiers et en blessant plusieurs dizaines d'autres. Cet événement à l'immense retentissement, Rudolph Schnaubelt en est le témoin privilégié. Fraîchement débarqué d'Allemagne, ce jeune homme cultivé, sans le sou mais décidé à conquérir l'Amérique, fait rapidement l'apprentissage d'une réalité qui lui glace le sang : de New York à Chicago, il découvre la tragique condition des ouvriers, surtout quand ils sont, comme lui, étrangers. Mais comment se dresser face aux injustices dans cette société conservatrice avide de profits où la presse est aux ordres et la répression policière, sanglante ? Tiraillé entre son engagement pour la cause ouvrière aux côtés de Louis Lingg, un militant anarchiste charismatique, et sa passion pour la belle Elsie, Rudolph va faire un choix qui changera à jamais le cours de sa vie et celui de l'Histoire.
Avec ce roman publié pour la première fois en 1908 et inédit en français, Frank Harris (1856-1931), journaliste et écrivain, revient sur un épisode majeur des luttes sociales et politiques, à l'origine du 1er Mai.
Avec ce roman publié pour la première fois en 1908 et inédit en français, Frank Harris (1856-1931), journaliste et écrivain, revient sur un épisode majeur des luttes sociales et politiques, à l'origine du 1er Mai.
November 9, 2009
A fictionalized account of the labor issues leading up to Chicago's Haymarket riot, but based in all the facts (all the characters are those who were involved). The narrator is Rudolph Schnaubelt, who allegedly threw the bomb. You can see his picture here:
http://www.chicagohs.org/hadc/tranSCR...
Harris touches on all the labor issues of the time (unsafe working environments, exploitation by employers, the resistance by Americans to the idea of an 8-hour workday -- which they saw as a foreign innovation). It's a well-written piece of realism, and still quite relevant in terms of the ongoing American national debate over healthcare and the ever-present fear of socialism in this country. Not just another of my esoteric books, I would recommend this one to anyone.
http://www.chicagohs.org/hadc/tranSCR...
Harris touches on all the labor issues of the time (unsafe working environments, exploitation by employers, the resistance by Americans to the idea of an 8-hour workday -- which they saw as a foreign innovation). It's a well-written piece of realism, and still quite relevant in terms of the ongoing American national debate over healthcare and the ever-present fear of socialism in this country. Not just another of my esoteric books, I would recommend this one to anyone.
April 10, 2015
Reconstitution de la vie du milieu anarchiste de Chicago dans le temps qui précède le massacre de Haymarket square. L'auteur prend le parti de narrer les luttes ouvrières et les exactions policières du point de vue d'un jeune journaliste allemand fraîchement immigré qui se lie d'amitié avec un des 7 condamnés, Louis Lingg, pour lequel il accepte de poser la bombe. Très intéressant pour ressentir ce moment de basculement au cours duquel les sans grades, soutiers de l'industrie et du capitalisme, basculent dans l'action à force de brimades, de violences policières, de pratiques patronales abusives. Vraiment intéressant même si les enjeux en matière de conquêtes sociales sont un peu évacués pour laisser place à l'amitié fusionnelle des deux personnages principaux.
November 13, 2013
I am normally very selective with what I read, but but this book appeared in my hands accidentally and I decided to give it a shot, which I did not regret.
The plot may be not as captivating as some other fiction, but the story is delivered in a an interesting way. The haymarket riots events are described from different perspectives - the main hero, his friend and teacher Louis Lingg, and the American people.
A good story blended with some real historical events. It might look primitive from time to time, but an overall feeling about the reading is positive.
The plot may be not as captivating as some other fiction, but the story is delivered in a an interesting way. The haymarket riots events are described from different perspectives - the main hero, his friend and teacher Louis Lingg, and the American people.
A good story blended with some real historical events. It might look primitive from time to time, but an overall feeling about the reading is positive.
February 17, 2016
L'histoire à l'origine du 1er mai. Intéressante immersion dans l'Amérique de la Révolution industrielle de la fin du XIXe siècle, époque où les immigrés d'Europe du Nord apportent leurs muscles à l'édification du capitalisme américain, et où la répression policière s'abat avec fureur sur les socialistes et anarchistes pour la plupart européens) avec l'assentiment silencieux d'une population dont le patriotisme flirte avec la xénophobie.
June 13, 2007
I could have done without the afterword by John Zerzan. Primitivists writing the closing thoughts on a fictionalized account of labor strike, anti-police brutality demonstration, a riot, a bombing and the legal aftermath and wrongful imprisonment and execution of anarchist labor oranizers... turns my stomach.
November 23, 2007
anarchists, riots, bombs? it doesn't matter that this is a suspenseful, engaging, somewhat-fictionalized account of one of the most pivotal and disputed moments in american history, because by even simply reading about this book your name has now somewhere been added to "a list." so, it's too late, you may as well read it now.
January 21, 2010
this book is supposed to be a fictional account of the haymarket bombing but the author was apparently too lazy to research anything. its pretty dumb. the introduction is by john dos passos which is what made me pick this up, but its mysterious as to why he wrote it since he was a conservative by that time in his life and has nothing to say about the book's politics at all.
October 18, 2007
this book is so good it makes me feel pathetic ... maybe if i went out and killed a cop? 1900s anarchist classic by someone who was really there (i think). lots of anger, not too much whining. i still have nightmares about phossy jaw. get yer own fucking copy.
August 30, 2008
A chilling historically fictional account of the trying times prior to and including the Haymarket bombing in Chicago. Frank Harris immerses his readers into hard labor and the riots leading up to the anarchist bombing and trial at the turn of the century. A truly fantastic read.
August 15, 2012
a story of chicago's haymarket riot told from the perspective of rudolph schnaubelt (one of the anarchists who actually threw the bomb in the crowd of policemen). well written and still super relevant (sadly)
December 7, 2015
This was an interesting fictional account of the Haymarket incident and its aftermath. There are of course historical inaccuracies and many liberties taken in the writing of the novel, but it's interesting for folks who are curious about how anarchists are represented in popular culture.
June 13, 2008
Frank Harris is everything except a humorist, not, apparently, from stupidity, but because scorn overcomes humour in him.
- Bernard Shaw
- Bernard Shaw
November 4, 2008
Fictional account of participants in the Haymarket bombing. Not exactly anarchist and pretty poorly written, but kind of inter.esting
June 24, 2009
One bomb is an accident.
Two show sequence and purpose.
Furthermore they suggest a third and fourth.
Did he throw it?
Maybe Aleister Crowley knew....
May 30, 2015
Not a litterary masterpiece, but fascinating account of the zola-like situation in us cities in 1880.
March 25, 2015
Anarchy / communism / bombs / murder - this is just cool stuff
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews