Jared Marcel Pollen is a writer living in Prague. He is author of Venus&Document.

09.10.2022

• Jared Marcel Pollen

For Percy Bysshe Shelley, Literature Was the Spark of the Revolution

After the 1819 Peterloo Massacre, the young radical poet Percy Bysshe Shelley proclaimed he was deserting “the odorous gardens of literature” for “the great sandy desert of politics.” Instead, he infused literature with revolutionary political ideas.

09.04.2022

• Jared Marcel Pollen

How the 1905 Revolution Inspired Rosa Luxemburg’s Vision of Emancipation

In 1905, revolt across the Russian Empire threatened to topple the tsar — but also prompted a formidable reactionary backlash. For Rosa Luxemburg, it showed the need for working-class leadership in the fight to democratize society.