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The manifesto that launched the Situationist International into the public eye and sparked an uprising is back. With the story of its creation and the histories of its publication told for the first time.
List of contents
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface by Mehdi El Hajoui on his collection and the political significance of his archival project
Introduction by Anna O'Meara on the impact of the Poverty of Student Life
Critical reflections by and an interview with Mustapha Khayati
Allan Antliff interview of Lorraine Perlman on the Black and Red edition
On the Poverty of Student Life: Translations (Photos of the many translations of
The Poverty of Student Life, juxtaposed with descriptions. )
- French, Belgian
- English
- Spanish and Portugeuse
- Italian
- German, Swiss, Dutch, Danish
- . Eastern European Languages
- Greek
- Chinese, Korean
On the Poverty of Student Life English translation by Donald Nicholson-Smith
About the author
Mustapha Khayati was a member of the Situationist International in the 1960s.Though collaborating with other Situationists, he was the chief author of On the Poverty of Student LIfe.
Guy Debord was a French Marxists theorist, philosopher, filmmaker, member of the Letterist International, and founding member of the Situationist International. He is the author of The Society of the Spectacle.
The Situationist International was an international organization of social revolutionaries made up of avant-garde artists, intellectuals, and political theorists. It was prominent in Europe from its formation in 1957 to its dissolution in 1972.
Donald Nicholson-Smith was a member of the SI and has translated a number of their texts (and much more) into English.
Anna O’Meara’s research investigates Middle Eastern art and activism between the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, particularly the work of Mustapha Khayati. Her translations have been published by Verso, Three Rooms Press, Annex Press, and BauerVerlag.
Mehdi El Hajoui, a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard University, has been researching and collecting the Situationist International for over a decade. Items from his archive have been exhibited at Princeton University, Indiana University, the Chicago Architecture Biennial, the Musée d’Art Moderne et Contemporain of Geneva, and the Haus der Kulturen der Welt in Berlin, among others. He frequently writes and lectures, and as a board member of Booklyn and ProArts Commons supports marginalized artists working at the intersection of art and social change.
Summary
The manifesto that launched the Situationist International into the public eye and sparked an uprising is back. With the story of its creation and the histories of its publication told for the first time.
Foreword
- Trade coverage in main industry publications(Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, Booklist, Library Journal, Choice, Bookforum)
- Review coverage in relevant outlets (Frieze, ArtForum, n+1, October, Teen Vogue, Democratic Left, Jacobin, etc)
Launch event at the Yale Beinike Library where drafts of the essay are housed as part of Mustapha Khayati’s personal collection.
Exhibition and event at Printed Matter and/or the NY/LA Art Book Fair with limited edition reproductions and posters to accompany the book.
Targeting student organizations to take inspiration from the SI to reappropriate student funds for bulk purchases through their local bookstores.
Review copies to art, political, and general trade outlets. Our publicity also highlights how the document came to be written and the significance of Mustapha’s role.
Online and Zoom events around the world
- Postcard direct mailing to anchor bookstores
- Emails to Common Notions email list, relevant newsletters and listservs
- Galleys available
- Online/social media campaign including giveaways
- Promotion through the author’s social media
- Bookseller/Library mailing and promotions, including conference giveaways
- Promotion through activist newsletters and social media
