CB
(((((((((((((((((( KARL MARX by JOHN SWINTON The Sun, No. 6, September 6, 1880 The interview with the editor of the progressive New York newspaper The Sun took place August 1880 Transcribed for the Internet Jan 18 1996 by z.
One of the most remarkable men of the day, who has played an inscrutable but puissant part in the revolutionary politics of the past forty years, is Karl Marx. A man without desire for show or fame, caring nothing for the fanfaronade of life or the pretence of power, without haste and without rest
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The afternoon is waning toward the twilight of an English summer evening as Mr. Marx discourses, and he proposes a walk through the seaside town and along the shore to the beach, upon which we see many thousand people, largely children, disporting themselves. Here we find on the sands his family party -- the wife, who had already welcomed me, his two daughters with their children, and his two sons-in-law, one of whom is a Professor in King's College, London, and the other, I believe, a man of letters. It was a delightful party -- about ten in all -- the father of the two young wives, who were happy with their children, and the grandmother of the children, rich in the joysomeness and serenity of her wifely nature. Not less finely than Victor Hugo himself does Karl Marx understand the art of being a grandfather; but, more fortunate than Hugo, the married children of Marx live to cheer his years. Toward nightfall he and his sons-in-law part from their families to pass an hour wit! h their American guest. And the talk was of the world, and of man, and of time, and of ideas, as our glasses tinkled over the sea. The railway train waits for no man, and night is at hand. Over the thought of the babblement and rack of the age and the ages, over the talk of the day and the scenes of the evening, arose in my mind one question touching upon the final law of being, for which I would seek answer from this sage. Going down to the depth of language, and rising to the height of emphasis, during an interspace of silence, I interrogated the revolutionist and philosopher in these fateful words, "What is?" And it seemed as though his mind were inverted for a moment while he looked upon the roaring sea in front and the restless multitude upon the beach. "What is?" I had inquired, to which, in deep and solemn tone, he replied: "Struggle!"
At first it seemed as though I had heard the echo of despair; but, peradventure, it was the law of life.
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>>> "Mr P.A. Van Heusden" <pvanheus at hgmp.mrc.ac.uk> 11/04/99 04:42AM >>>
On Wed, 3 Nov 1999, Charles Brown wrote:
>
> >>> "Mr P.A. Van Heusden" <pvanheus at hgmp.mrc.ac.uk> 11/03/99
> Is this 'jouissance' is in a way akin to the thing that Marx meant when he
> replied, in response to a question about 'what is human nature':
> 'struggle'? Like 'desire'?
>
> (((((((((((
>
> Charles: I don't know if this makes any difference, but I believe the
> question Marx answered with "struggle" , was " What is ?". It was from
> an American reporter from the Chicago Tribune in a newspaper interview.
> Sort of a psychedelic question for 1880, but....
>
> Carrol can corroborate me on this.
Charles, I looked up that interview on the MEIA - there is one from 1879 with a reporter from the Chicago Tribune, I'm not sure if it is the same one as the one you mean.
Anyway, I couldn't find that question/reponse in the interview. I'd like to see an authorative reference, though. Any takers?
Peter
-- Peter van Heusden : pvanheus at hgmp.mrc.ac.uk : PGP key available Criticism has torn up the imaginary flowers from the chain not so that man shall wear the unadorned, bleak chain but so that he will shake off the chain and pluck the living flower. - Karl Marx
NOTE: I do not speak for the HGMP or the MRC.