John Henry Mackay

About the Book

John Henry Mackay (1864-1933) wrote in a variety of styles. This volume of his shorter fiction contains twenty-five stories, ranging in length from one page to the longer novella. In this range, it is essentially complete. The themes also vary considerably, for Mackay did not like to repeat himself. Nevertheless, as might be expected from the biographer of the egoist philosopher Max Stirner, they often illustrate strong individuals. Such are, for example, the protagonists of “The Sybarite” and “Herculean Triflings.” Other stories probe the foibles of human nature; in this category are “Then He Suddenly Remembered” and “The Voice.” A surprising number of stories detail the carrying out of criminal schemes—surprising because Mackay was the most honest of individuals. This is seen in “The Stronger” and “The Great Coup.”

The longest of these stories, “The Innocent,” begins with a murder that is later solved. But it is not a murder mystery; rather, it is “the story of a transformation” (the subtitle), the transformation of an extraordinary, if recognizable, personality into an even more extraordinary and unexpected personality. First published in 1931, the setting gives a fascinating picture of life in Berlin at that time. It is also pioneering in including homosexual characters, whose homosexuality does not form the “problem” of the story, but who are simply there as part of the plot. This would not become usual for several decades. But that is not the most memorable part of this unusual story, which is perhaps Mackay’s delicious sarcasm in his portrait of the Great Poet of Germany.

Though John Henry Mackay is best known as an anarchist propagandist, this volume is, all together, an excellent introduction to his work. Here, in miniature, are themes expressed at greater length in his novels and lyrically in his poetry. Critics often read his anarchist propaganda—particularly the poems—as literature and unjustly judged him by them. He saw the stories in this volume as a part of his literary legacy, on which he wanted to be judged. They appear here for the first time in English.

About the Author

John Henry Mackay was born on 6 February 1864 in Greenock, Scotland. His Scottish father died when Mackay was only nineteen months old and his German mother returned with him to Germany, where he grew up with German as his mother tongue. He later learned English—and translated a volume of American and English poems into German—but did not write it well. After one year as an apprentice in a publishing house, he was a student at three universities, but only as an auditor. With a generous allowance from his mother, he traveled much and began his long career as a writer. Fame came in 1891 with his propagandistic The Anarchists, but Mackay wrote in a variety of literary forms and some of his lyric poetry was set to music by Richard Strauss. Mackay died in Berlin on 16 May 1933.