Works read previously in 2026 by the MEP Monthly Literature group
July 25
The Glass Key, by Dashiell Hammett (various publishers). First published in 1930, Hammett’s novel is a scathing description of small-town corruption and the effects of capitalism on local economies and power elites. The novel has inspired many movies, all worth watching and worth discussing in this session.
May 30
Faraway the Southern Sky: A Novel, by Joseph Andreas. (New York: Verso Press, 2024, 82 pages). A narrator walks through contemporary Paris, identifying the locations where a young Vietnamese refugee/revolutionary lived and worked through a city marked by rebellions and massacres. This novel will resonate with MEP members who read The Sorrow of War.
April 4
My Country, Africa: Autobiography of the Black Pasionaria, by Andrée Blouin, in collaboration with Jean MacKellar (Verso Books, 2025, 288 pages). We suggest reading this book while streaming Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat. The Literature Group has read a number of fictions set in Africa; Blouin’s memoir gives background on the turbulent postcolonial period in Africa and the unrecognized contributions of women to national liberation movements.
February 28
Victor Serge: Unruly Revolutionary, by Mitchell Abidor (Pluto Press, 2025, 424 pages). On November 3, 2025, Mitch Abidor spoke at the MEP on how his biography of Victor Serge could disturb readers who have a romantic view of Serge’s dissidence. We will discuss how this biography brings out the difficulties of Serge’s living within defeat and poverty and whether Abidor’s reportage changes our assessment of Serge’s novels.