Lyrical Individualism

In the early twentieth century, André Colomer was perhaps the best-known figure in the anarchist movement. A poet, philosopher, activist, and public speaker, he was enmeshed in the Parisian political and artistic scene at a time of political and cultural revolution. Amid the avant-garde explosions of Cubism, futurism, and surrealism and the ferment of radical politics on left and right, Colomer became anarchism's leading advocate. He galvanized the Parisian public through his agitational writing and organizing, as well as his involvement in a sensational murder case, while developing a distinctive philosophical account of anarchist individualism. Yet Colomer died in obscurity in Moscow, abandoned by his friends and comrades, and is scarcely known in the English-speaking world today.

Lyrical Individualism presents a selection of Colomer's crucial writings, with a focus on anarchist theory and the philosophy of Henri Bergson. It reveals the richness of Colomer's philosophical work, particularly his creative engagement with Bergson, Max Stirner, and Friedrich Nietzsche to forge a novel anarchist ideology. Colomer's writings not only offer valuable insights into interwar anarchism, they also present a distinctive philosophical vision that in many ways anticipates theories and debates animating radical political movements today. This book also showcases his acerbic and pugnacious political commentary on the turbulent events of the 1910s and 1920s. The first translation and publication of Colomer's work since his untimely death in 1931, Lyrical Individualism allows a range of readers to discover this vital thinker.

A beautifully edited anthology that recenters a major yet unheeded prolific and versatile anarchist thinker and activist. An entire era, milieu, and strand of radical philosophy are resurrected through Colomer's fascinating life story, fearless stances on “insurrectionary aesthetics,” and lyrical individualism. -- Constance Bantman, author of Jean Grave and the Networks of French Anarchism, 1854-1939
Some historical figures remain neglected for good reason: André Colomer is not one of them. Lyrical Individualism restores him to prominence, brilliantly chronicling twenty years of his sparkling, soul-searching writings. Oskar De Wolf reveals Colomer’s intelligence, honesty and unwavering commitment to ‘perfecting and embellishing of the life of all mankind.’ -- Ruth Kinna, author of The Government of No One: The Theory and Practice of Anarchism
Lyrical Individualism will immerse the reader in the swirling intellectual currents of early twentieth-century France. For Colomer, anarchism was far more than a political ideology; it was a path to personal liberation. Inspired by Bergson and Nietzsche, Colomer reached for the “amorous imaginations of living.” Mark Antliff’s foreword reminds us that the philosophy of Henri Bergson influenced anarchists along with many others; Oskar De Wolf’s introduction explicates two decades of Colomer’s thought. These poetic and polemical essays trace Colomer’s intellectual trajectory from his prewar aesthetic individualism to a postwar syndicalist phase, before he abandoned anarchism in his final years and embraced communist revolution. -- Richard D. Sonn, author of Sex, Violence, and the Avant-Garde: Anarchism in Interwar France

André Colomer (1886–1931) was a central figure in Parisian avant-garde and anarchist circles from the years before World War I through the mid-1920s. He led a tumultuous life defined by controversial publications, heated public debates, and political activism, and he died of cancer after leaving France for the Soviet Union.

Oskar De Wolf is a translator, editor, and poet who studied philosophy at the Humboldt University of Berlin and the University of St. Andrews.

Mark Antliff is Mary Grace Wilson Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Art, Art History, and Visual Studies at Duke University.

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