Story of a Communist A Memoir

The philosopher Antonio Negri was one of the preeminent thinkers of our time: his writings on class, socialism, and empire have had an enormous influence on contemporary political theory. His political activism and outspoken advocacy for the downtrodden also placed him at the centre of some of the most dramatic developments in recent Italian history. Story of a Communist—the first volume of Negri’s three-part autobiography—gives a fascinating account of his intellectual development and of the price he paid for living out his ideals. Negri paints a vivid portrait of the ferment in which some of his most important arguments and ideas took shape, and he provides crucial context for an understanding of the operaismo movement and of the influence that it continues to exert. Story of a Communistis also a very personal work, however: it is a compelling and often moving narrative of a childhood overshadowed by Fascism, and of the ways in which Negri’s later political interventions were shaped by his profoundly important relationships with comrades and collaborators.  This first volume traces the author’s involvement with Left-wing politics in the post-war period, describing in fascinatin…