Angels and Demons: A Radical Anthology of Political Lives
by Tony McKenna

A Marxist analysis of key political and historical figures including Hugo Chavez and Jeremy Corbyn, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.

A Marxist analysis of key political and historical figures including Hugo Chavez and Jeremy Corbyn, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.

Angels and Demons offers a series of profiles of historical figures both old and new. Using a Marxist analysis, the author adduces the particularities of each individual personality from the crest of living history which brings it to the fore, showing with each of the figures examined how the art, politics and creativity of their lives is infused by the rhythm and contradictions of the broader historical backdrop.

The angels in the collection are Hugo Chavez, Andrea Dworkin, Rembrandt, Victor Hugo, Jeremy Corbyn and William Blake. The demons are Donald Trump, Christopher Hitchens, Arthur Schopenhauer and Hillary Clinton.

Reviews:
Newly released by Zero Books, Tony McKenna’s aptly titled “Angels and Demons” is a collection of profiles…that has the author’s customary psychological insight and literary grace…[I]t demonstrates a remarkable breadth of knowledge about disparate cultural, political and intellectual strands that is seldom seen today in an age of specialization. While I would not denigrate the efforts of Marxists in the academy, there is something extraordinary about McKenna’s body of work. Constrained by their professional obligations, most professors tend to specialize. This gives their work a narrow focus out of reach for the average reader, especially when it is behind a JSTOR paywall. Tony McKenna comes from a different place entirely…In 1865 Marx stayed with an uncle who lived in the Netherlands and, as was popular at the time, wrote a “Confession” that enumerated his traits. For example, as to “Your chief characteristic”, he answered, appropriately enough, “Singleness of purpose.” And for “Your Maxim”, he cited Terence: “Nihil humani a me alienum puto, which means “Nothing human is alien to me.” After reading “Angels and Demons” and other books and articles by Tony McKenna, that would seem to be the maxim he lives by as well. https://www.counterpunch.org/2019/05/03/political-angels-and-demons-shaped-by-the-forces-of-history/ ~ Louis Proyect, Counterpunch

Anyone looking for a modern attempt to recreate the dialectical balance between the individual and wider social forces in the spirit of Marx and Engels should refer to this highly readable collection of essays by Tony McKenna. The author impressively surveys the lives of a number of individuals across the fields of politics, philosophy and the arts who have had a major impact – for good or ill – on human affairs...[H]e deploys with virtuosity a remarkable grasp of the breadth of cultural, economic and political forces at work in the lives of these personalities. Anyone interested in any of the above figures will find their understanding enhanced by McKenna‘s sophisticated delineation of how the respective subject’s ideology was shaped by the dynamics of the age. https://www.culturematters.org.uk/index.php/culture/theory/item/3018-angels-and-demons ~ Sean Ledwith, Culture Matters

A marvellous collection of essays on an unusual range of figures from history, literature and contemporary politics: informative, intelligent, thought-provoking, and always highly readable. A unique and remarkable book. ~ Sean Sayers, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy, University of Kent