Workers’ Tales

A collection of political talesΓÇöfirst published in British workersΓÇÖ magazinesΓÇöselected and introduced by acclaimed critic and author Michael Rosen In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries,unique tales inspired by traditional literary forms appeared frequently in socialist-leaning British periodicalssuch as the ClarionLabour Leaderand Social Democrat. Based on familiar genresΓÇöthe fairy talefableallegoryparableand moral taleΓÇöand penned by a range of lesser-known and celebrated authorsincluding Schalom AschCharles Allen ClarkeFrederick James Gouldand William Morristhese stories were meant to entertain readers of all agesΓÇöand some challenged the conventional values promoted in childrenΓÇÖs literature for the middle class. In WorkersΓÇÖ Talesacclaimed critic and author Michael Rosen brings together more than forty of the best and most enduring examples of these stories in one beautiful volume. Throughoutthe tales in this collection exemplify themes and ideas related to work and the class systemsometimes in wish-fulfilling ways. In ΓÇ£Tom HickathriftΓÇ¥ a littlepoor person gets the better of a giganticwealthy one. In ΓÇ£The Man Without a HeartΓÇ¥ a man learns about the value of basic labor after testing out more privileged lives. And in ΓÇ£The Political Economist and the FlowersΓÇ¥ two contrasting gardeners highlight the cold heart of Darwinian competition. RosenΓÇÖs informative introduction describes how such tales advocated for contemporary progressive causes and countered the dominant celebration of BritainΓÇÖs imperial values. The book includes archival illustrationsbiographical notes about the writersand details about the periodicals where the tales first appeared. Provocative and enlighteningWorkersΓÇÖ Tales presents voices of resistance that are more relevant than ever before.