An Anarchist Has to Live off Something: Emma Goldman as a Capitalist Publicist

Emma Goldman was an important anarchist of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, whose eventful life was impacted by the political developments of her time. She also had to live off her writings, especially once she had been deported from the United States. In this regard, and as a publicist, Goldman often had to make pragmatic decisions. She tried to sell her autobiography Living My Life (1931) for the best price and acted like a true capitalist publicist. The present article traces Goldman's path as editor of Mother Earth to her later problems and negotiations with US publishers and provides a deeper insight into the financial necessities that forced her to accept the necessity to forget her anarchist ideals, at least when she dealt with possible contract partners for her books.