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Karl Marx is a controversial figure.  Some people grimace with the mention of his name while others celebrate his contributions to political history.  Marxism was a political ideology that swept through Europe and still exists today in some forms, even in democracy.  We may not embrace Marxism fully, but whether or not you realize it, you may be engaging in a Marxist principle … and liking it!

For this installment of “Behind The Article,” we asked Steven Hermans, writer of our latest article entitled Karl Marx’s Revolutionary Brussels, about Marxism today and politics in Belgium:

Literary Traveler: As you discussed in the article, Karl Marx’s communist vision had appeal with the poor masses.  In this deep recession, do you think communism will have a comeback?

Steven Hermans: Having traveled extensively in the former Soviet Union, I can safely say that communism is well and truly dead. Although the good sides of communist society are underreported in the West, I don’t think the idea of a dictatorial rule is appealing to anyone anymore, not to mention communism’s economic and environmental problems. Marxism however is alive more than ever, as we can see in the global protests against bankers, stock traders and multinationals, and with the demise of capitalism as we know it I see socialism making a comeback.

LT: How do Belgians view their current political system?

SH: It’s always tricky to speak about Belgians, since the country is so deeply divided between the Dutch-speaking and the French-speaking part. To generalize, I think most Belgians look at the current anarchy with apathy. Belgians are not patriotic people: as long as they and their families are doing fine, the state’s wounds can continue to fester.

LT: Since you live in Brussels, are there any literary sites you would recommend?

SH: I recommend the Comic Strip Museum. Belgium has a long and rich history of comics and graphic novels, and it is often referred to as the ninth art in Belgium and France. If you are not interested in comics, you can still admire the magnificent building: the Wacquez warehouse built by the famous architect Victor Horta in 1906. It’s the most beautiful Art Nouveau building in Brussels in my opinion.

Please continue reading Karl Marx’s Revolutionary Brussels.

Our newest feature article, on Fernando Pessoa, not only made me want to take off for Lisbon, but it also reawakened a train of thought I had shelved since returning from Europe.  I’ve often wondered if people can be broken up into two groups: the travelers and the nesters.  Some people seem best suited to home life.  They know how to enjoy the small pleasures, the ordinary moments of happiness.  They are the reliable ones, settled and stable.  Their lives may not always be happy, but they have a constant – they have a home.  Even when they travel abroad, they are able to experience the seductive lure of a foreign land without being pulled or swayed from their moorings.  Nesters seem to be driven always by an internal compass, one which points towards home.

The other group, the travelers, are restless and without anchor (it seems our writer, Steven Hermans, may fit into this category).  They relentlessly seek new places, experiences, tastes, and people.  They desire motion, continual excitement, rather than the comforts of home.

I believe most of us have fit into both groups at some point in our lives, for these categories aren’t hard and fast.  They’re probably best viewed as phases we slip into at certain points, only to later change allegiance.   In his discussion of Pessoa, Hermans describes the author as of the former group, while he himself falls into the latter.  In an interesting twist, he journeys to Pessoa’s home in order to see how the other half (the nesters) live. Walking along the eerily familiar streets, painted so vividly by Pessoa’s prose, Hermans is able to see the attractions of a room of one’s own – and compare that with the lure of the open road.

This week, we invite homebodies and wanders alike to join us this week in Portugal in Fernando Pessoa’s Lisbon of Disquiet. Perhaps you will recognize something of yourself in Hermans, or perhaps you’re more like Pessoa.  Either way, we promise you’ll leave with some food for thought.

Often our greatest epiphanies occur at the most mundane moments.  Like Archimedes and his tub, we tend to stumble into truth with our vision blurred and arms outstretched.  However, there are men who dedicate their lives to the discovery and unveiling of holy and sacred truths.

Hermann Hesse was one of those men.  His writing reveals an interest not only in fiction, but also in the deeper philosophical questions that have haunted us since Plato summarized our shadowy limitations.

This month, author Steven Hermans takes a walk through Hesse’s past, following his trail to the city of Maulbronn, Germany.  He journeys to the ruins of the monastery where Hesse spent several years studying before he fell into a deep depression.  It was a special place for Hesse, and through his wanderings, it becomes a significant place for Hermans as well.  Particularly once he comes upon the fountain.

It is here Hermans learns something crucial about his own multifaceted nature; he not simply a poet, a monk, or a musician, but like Hesse, he is a man on a quest for truth.  Although it may seem strange to read so much into an object of stone and water, I, too, can remember a time when the very bricks of a church seemed to speak out in kinship.  While the little, unobtrusive chapel on the Hudson did not have the same advantage of age as the Maulbronn fountain, the quiet air seemed imbued with a purity, a sense of balance and peace.  It was as though it had been built just for that one moment of perfect clarity.

But before we get lost in reflection, take a moment to follow Hermans to the edge of the Black Forest by checking out our newest feature article – Hermann Hesse’s Glass Bead Game: The Fountain of Inspiration - in its entirety.