I’m looking for a good book that has socialist or leftist themes, but isn’t directly about politics. Preferably fiction, classic or contemporary is fine either way 🙂 The more I can pick apart the better! Thanks!
*The Name of the Rose* is pretty obviously leftist but is set in a medieval monastery.
*Babel* is political in the sense it’s about colonialism and the British Empire but it’s not “modern” politics, so not sure if it would count for you.
*Roadside Picnic* is low-key sci-fi that has a pretty scathing critique of capitalism (while also being seen as anti-USSR for some reason sometimes).
Peppery_penguin on
*The Overstory* by Richard Powers is a phenomenal book.
*Ministry for the Future* by Kim Stanley Robinson is another gooder.
stella3books on
Kate Elliott’s “Keeper’s Six” is a novella about world-hopping adventurers, and involves labor rights for minions. “Servant Mage” is about a rebellion in Fantasy Land, and has class-conscious anti-colonialist themes.
superdupermensch on
Germinal by Emile Zola
Hatherence on
The author Becky Chambers writes far future sci fi settings that aren’t about politics, but have socialism or not-quite-capitalist economies. In particular, I’d recommend Record of a Spaceborn Few or the Monk and Robot duology.
The author Ursula K. Le Guin was a socialist, and her later fiction focuses a lot on politics. Her fiction written in the middle of her career might be of interest to you, such as The Left Hand of Darkness.
A Country of Ghosts by Margaret Killjoy is about a war reporter in an anarcho socialist nation. I’m not sure if this is too directly about politics, but I thought it was good.
GardenSenior9774 on
The Four Winds has a good bit on union organizing of migrant workers in the Depression.
8Deer-JaguarClaw on
In Dubious Battle by John Steinbeck. It’s about the movement to organize migrant farm laborers in California during the time between WWI and WWII. There is also a movie version directed by and starring James Franco.
7 Comments
*The Name of the Rose* is pretty obviously leftist but is set in a medieval monastery.
*Babel* is political in the sense it’s about colonialism and the British Empire but it’s not “modern” politics, so not sure if it would count for you.
*Roadside Picnic* is low-key sci-fi that has a pretty scathing critique of capitalism (while also being seen as anti-USSR for some reason sometimes).
*The Overstory* by Richard Powers is a phenomenal book.
*Ministry for the Future* by Kim Stanley Robinson is another gooder.
Kate Elliott’s “Keeper’s Six” is a novella about world-hopping adventurers, and involves labor rights for minions. “Servant Mage” is about a rebellion in Fantasy Land, and has class-conscious anti-colonialist themes.
Germinal by Emile Zola
The author Becky Chambers writes far future sci fi settings that aren’t about politics, but have socialism or not-quite-capitalist economies. In particular, I’d recommend Record of a Spaceborn Few or the Monk and Robot duology.
The author Ursula K. Le Guin was a socialist, and her later fiction focuses a lot on politics. Her fiction written in the middle of her career might be of interest to you, such as The Left Hand of Darkness.
A Country of Ghosts by Margaret Killjoy is about a war reporter in an anarcho socialist nation. I’m not sure if this is too directly about politics, but I thought it was good.
The Four Winds has a good bit on union organizing of migrant workers in the Depression.
In Dubious Battle by John Steinbeck. It’s about the movement to organize migrant farm laborers in California during the time between WWI and WWII. There is also a movie version directed by and starring James Franco.