Date: Mon, 27 Nov 1995 15:08:05 -0500 (EST)
From: Louis N Proyect <lnp3-AT-columbia.edu>
Subject: Re: Gramsci & Trotsky


On Mon, 27 Nov 1995, Jj Plant wrote:

> Chris, some of your participants may be interested in this. It appeared 
> in the first Russian editions of Trotsky's "Literature & Revolution", but 
> not in any of the English editions. Gramsci is evidently replying to 
> Trotsky's enquiries about futurism.
> 
> The translation is mine, so treat with care.
> _________________________________________________________________

Louis: Kudos to Jj Plant for supplying the Gramsci piece. This just 
confirms my belief that this list is drawing out some of the most 
insightful and important Marxist thought in the world today.

The whole subject of futurism, especially its ties to fascism, is 
pregnant with implications. Ordinarily I shy away from "superstructure" 
issues but it makes you stop and think twice about the obsession with 
technology during the information superhighway period we are in.

Wired Magazine seems lifted out of the futurist culture of the early 
1900's but the jazzed up graphics and Tofflerian mindset disguise a 
patently reactionary message. Gingrich is a favorite of Wired.

Russian futurism was just wonderful, but Italian futurism seems awfully 
dicey. Can we separate out this question from the very real dialectical 
phenomenon of Mussolini's political evolution itself? After all, wasn't 
Mussolini a bona fide socialist earlier in his career. Franciso G. is 
preparing a report on the ideology of Italian and Spanish fascism. I hope 
he takes this into account.


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