Will Kaufman's Woody Guthrie, American Radical reclaims the politically radical profile of America's greatest balladeer. Although he achieved a host of national honors and adorns US postage stamps, and although his song "This Land Is Your Land" is often considered the nation's second national anthem, Woody Guthrie committed his life to the radical struggle.
Will Kaufman traces Guthrie's political awakening and activism throughout the Great Depression, World War II, the Cold War, the Korean War, the Civil Rights struggle, and the poison of McCarthyism. He examines Guthrie's role in the development of a workers' culture in the context of radical activism spearheaded by the Communist Party of the USA, the Popular Front, and the Congress of Industrial Organizations. Kaufman also establishes Guthrie's significance in the perpetuation of cultural front objectives into the era of the "New Left" and beyond, particularly through his influence on the American and international protest song movement.
Utilizing a wealth of previously unseen archival materials such as letters, song lyrics, essays, personal reflections, photos, and other manuscripts, Woody Guthrie, American Radical introduces a heretofore unknown Woody Guthrie: the canny political strategist, fitful thinker, and cultural front activist practically buried in the general public's romantic celebration of the "Dust Bowl Troubadour."
A portion of the royalties from the sales of this book will be donated to the Woody Guthrie Foundation.
Will Kaufman traces Guthrie's political awakening and activism throughout the Great Depression, World War II, the Cold War, the Korean War, the Civil Rights struggle, and the poison of McCarthyism. He examines Guthrie's role in the development of a workers' culture in the context of radical activism spearheaded by the Communist Party of the USA, the Popular Front, and the Congress of Industrial Organizations. Kaufman also establishes Guthrie's significance in the perpetuation of cultural front objectives into the era of the "New Left" and beyond, particularly through his influence on the American and international protest song movement.
Utilizing a wealth of previously unseen archival materials such as letters, song lyrics, essays, personal reflections, photos, and other manuscripts, Woody Guthrie, American Radical introduces a heretofore unknown Woody Guthrie: the canny political strategist, fitful thinker, and cultural front activist practically buried in the general public's romantic celebration of the "Dust Bowl Troubadour."
A portion of the royalties from the sales of this book will be donated to the Woody Guthrie Foundation.
With Nora Guthrie at the Woody Guthrie Archives
"Overdue rediscovery of folk music’s great agitator." - Kirkus Reviews
"A fascinating look at Woody Guthrie's politics." - MOJO
"The writer of 'This Land Is Your Land' wasn't just a songwriter - Guthrie committed himself to radical political struggle. Discover more in this handsome, elegantly compiled tome." - New Musical Express
"Drawing on previously unseen letters, song lyrics, essays, and interviews with family and friends, Kaufman traces Guthrie's involvement in the workers' movement and his development of protest songs. He portrays Guthrie as a committed and flawed human immersed in political complexity and harrowing personal struggle." - Library Journal
"Kaufman is an excellent guide to a tradition buried under a multi-decade propaganda campaign that buried the stories of rural and radical America." - PopMatters
"As Will Kaufman argues in his wonderful and uncompromising book, the folksinger was not driven by some abstract commitment to justice alone, but by the vision of a cooperative planned economy, one that could meet people’s needs directly and foster meaningful social, economic, and racial equality." - Monthly Review
"Depp and I love your book!" - Douglas Brinkley, co-editor, with Johnny Depp, of Woody Guthrie's House of Earth (2012)
Click here for an interview with Will on OETA-TV's Writing Out Loud for the Oklahoma Center For Poets and Writers.
Woody Guthrie, American Radical is published by the University of Illinois Press
Buy it on Amazon: click here
Read The Guardian's account of Will's US performance/book tour here.
For booking and other information contact Will on
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