Olchar E. Lindsann
Olchar E. Lindsann
Artists, Anarchists & Concierges Battle in 19th Century Bohemian Paris
In the musical Rent, the archetypal hip, Lower East Side New York Bohemian protagonists call their landlord “the enemy of Avenue A” when he enters their chosen coffee shop, in the song “La Vie Bohême.” The title recalls that of the Puccini opera, La Bohême, on which Rent is based.
This in turn was based on stories published by the French writer Henry Murger in 1851, that established the archetype of the urban, artistic, liberal Bohemian that still prevails in gentrifying areas throughout today’s world.
Nov 21, 2020 Read the whole text...
Olchar E. Lindsann
In the Digital Age
Poetic Reason as an Alternative
a review of
Poetic Reason in the Age of Digital Control by Jesús Sepúlveda. Bad Idea Publishing, 2023
Jesús Sepúlveda’s Poetic Reason in the Age of Digital Control addresses some of today’s most pressing threats and sketches out some promising ideas of a strategy in response, which will hopefully be elaborated in future works.
Oct 21, 2024 Read the whole text...
Olchar E. Lindsann
Ontological anarchy and punk-inspired zine culture
Jason Rodgers’ rich discourse and presentation
a review of
Invisible Generation: Rants, Polemics, and Critical Theory Against the Planetary Work Machine by Jason Rodgers. Autonomedia, 2021
For many years, Jason Rodgers has been a motivating presence in a startlingly large number of anarchist zine projects and communities, including frequently in this magazine. Her work has been published in a great many collective contexts, but always singly and hard to find. In Invisible Generation, her diverse body of critical writing has finally been brought together.
Jun 12, 2022 Read the whole text...
Olchar E. Lindsann
Petrus Borel
The 19th Century Anti-Authoritarian Lycanthrope
a review of
Champavert: Immoral Tales by Petrus Borel, trans. Brian Stableford. Borga Press, 2013 WildsidePess.com
The long-forgotten radical novel, Champavert, is the only full-length book available in English by Petrus Borel. The anti-authoritarian poet was known in 19th century French underground circles as “The Lycanthrope” (Wolfman), and was central to the creation of the cultural avant-garde as both an idea and a functioning community in that era.
Dec 31, 2021 Read the whole text...
Olchar E. Lindsann
The Cultural Avant-Garde & the Paris Commune
The 19th century was wilder than we thought
On May 16, 1871, one of the most famous monuments in Europe, the Vendôme Column celebrating Napoleon’s imperial regime, was toppled to the cheers of thousands. It was one of the largest public ceremonies of the short-lived Paris Commune, where revolutionaries controlled the city, establishing a free and egalitarian society that lasted a little over two months until suppressed by force.
Jun 25, 2023 Read the whole text...