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THE
EGO AND HIS OWN
by Max STIRNER
IMPACT :
'The Ego and His Own' (originally
published by the author in Leipzig, Germany, 1845) was Max Stirner's
one important book. It was stimulated, above all else, by his
association with the group of young Hegelians known as "Die
Freien" (the "Free Ones"). These met under
the leadership of the brothers Edgar and Bruno Bauer and in this
company Stirner was fortunate enough to meet Karl Marx, Friedrich
Engels, Arnold Ruge, Georg Herwegh and numerous other revolutionary
intellectuals. Before the publication of his magnum opus
Stirner only produced a few short pieces in periodicals, including
an essay on educational methods printed in the Rheinische
Zeitung under Karl Marx's editorship. Stirner was in fact
the first intellectual adversary against whom Marx measured himself
(see Section 2 of the latter's "Deutsche Ideologie"
entitled "Der heilige Max"). 'The Ego and His
Own' is perhaps the most extreme expression of "Individualism"
ever published. It is his own act of revolt against a life of
frustration that finally overcame him. His later years were totally
undistinguished. He embarked upon a series of commercial ventures
that left him largely in debt and chased by creditors. Apart
from this he spent his time translating several English and French
economists into German. His only other full-length book 'Die
Geschichte der Reaktion' ('The History of Rebellion' [1852])
was lacking in the fire of discontent that made his earlier work
so utterly provocative. Max Stirner died impoverished and forgotten
in 1856.
FEATURES :
An Introductory Essay "Max
Stirner: The Ego and His Own", which provides some essential
details about the life and work of Max Stirner, in particular
the significance of the present volume. The Original Publisher's
Preface (1907) to the first English translation, which discusses
the reason for its re-publication. An Introduction by J.L.Walker
(1903), an authority on the life and work of Max Stirner
and the "Anarchist" movements. The Original Translator's
Preface (1912), which makes clear some of the challenges
faced by the translator of this work.
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