For discussing books by socialists or about socialism.

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Pro-socialist/Anti-Capitalist fiction books (lemmygrad.ml)

submitted 2 years ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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I am looking for fiction books where the message is explicitly socialist or anti capitalist, sorta like Animal Farm, but against Capitalism.

Not really required, but it would be helpful if those books have easily accessible PDF copies of it.

Thanks in advance.

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 years ago (1 children)

I wouldn't say that it is explicitly Anti-Capitalist/Pro-Socialist, but the Wiedźmin (Witcher for the anglos) book series has some pretty cool anti-imperialist vibes in it. It is actually extremely different in politics to the games by CDPR and is generally better than most Euro fantasy in its treatment of racism and nationalism. I think the author has some anti-soviet vibes, which didn't matter that much to me at the time of reading, but I guess are worthy of note for many here. Books are on libgen in many languages, and the audiobook versions by Peter Kenny are very well acted.

I also haven't gotten around to finishing Chernyshevsky's "What is to be done" (not the Lenin one) but I liked it so far. It has also been a while, but Ramos's Vidas Secas was one of my favourite books as a child, but only recently I learned he was communist. Not sure how that last one translates to English though.

Also since you mentioned Animal Farm, I've head that "Brave New World" is generally regarded as an "opposite day 1984". Can't attest for its quality though, as I haven't read it yet.

Also Neal Stephenson has weird thoughts and I wouldn't consider him a socialist, and his books kinda read like having a bad trip while reading historical conspiracy theories, but Diamond Age kinda has a "broken clock correct twice" aspect to it. Kinda like the "Cocaine-phase Stephen King" of sci-fi.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 2 years ago (1 children)

I think the author has some anti-soviet vibes

That's huge understatement, every single polish fantasy author, especially those in 90's breathes anticommunism like a dragon, but Sapkowski didn't really show it that much since he really immerses in the setting and this prevent the usual flood of anachronisms you will find everywhere else.

Bad thing is, half of his books are just crap, first two books of shorts and first 3 books of Witcher saga are good, later the quaity drops like stone in water and of the newer shorts some are fucking disgusting, one even said that pedophilia is ok as long as it's not on the human child which was like 180 turn from the old books which were antiracist and anti sex crimes.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 years ago

Good points! I have only read the first 4 of those 5 you've mentioned so far, so I wasn't aware of the issues lol. I actually know very little of Polish culture and the Eastern European experience in the cold war, so my reading of that series was more along the lines of the ethnic conflicts in Latinamerica. Only much later that I came to understand that the guy was writing with his views on Cold War East Europe in mind, rather than talking about us. Edited the comment to sound less authoritative.