Book brings 19th-century communist thinker to life
Print Edition
THE second edition of a book about Karl Marx, aimed at boosting the 19th-century thinker’s appeal among young people, has been published.
The book, “Reliable Marx,” was released by a subsidiary of the People’s Publishing House at the 26th National Book Expo in north China’s Inner Mongolia.
“We would like to bring Marx closer to our readers,” said Zhong Jun, a research fellow with the Academy of Marxism of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. “In the book, we depicted a real and colorful Marx who still seems alive,” Zhong said.
Marxism is the guiding theory in philosophy and the social sciences in China.
Marxism courses are required in Chinese schools, but many students find them boring.
In May, a nine-episode talk show about Marx and Marxism aired on Inner Mongolia Satellite Televison. A song from the program, called “Marx Is A Post-1990,” went viral online. It features rap lyrics about pop star Bruno Mars and declares that Marx is an honorary member of China’s “post-90s” generation.
The first edition of the book, based on the TV program, was published in June. Zhong, one of the book’s editors, didn’t disclose sales numbers, but told Xinhua that it was among the top ten most popular books that month.
The book introduces the works of Karl Marx, including “Das Kapital” and “The Communist Manifesto,” discusses the problems young Chinese people face, and attempts to provide solutions based on Marxist perspectives.
Most editors of the book are in their 30s, according to Zhong. “They know how young people in China think and how they speak,” Zhong said.
The book includes chapters with titles like “Marx joined two groups on WeChat” and “The lasting bromance.”
Humorous, modern takes on history and the classics have become popular in China in the past decade.
In 2006, a customs officer in south China’s Guangdong province rose to fame after he wrote a slang-filled Internet book about the China’s Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644).
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