The Old Marx: A biography of his last years (1881-1883)

Abstract

As the subtitle indicates, Marcello Musto, in his biography, does not deal with the “mature Marx” in general, whose definition would give rise to controversy, but focuses on a less frequented period, that of the “last Marx” (according to the original Italian title), more precisely, his last two years of life. However, Musto's account is not limited to the description of the vicissitudes at the end of the life of the illustrious Rhenish (died on March 14, 1883), deeply marked by illness and the loss of his lifelong companion, Jenny von Westphalen (in December 2, 1881), and the eldest daughter, Jenny Longuet, Jennychen, as the family affectionately called her (on January 11, 1883); but it deals, above all, with the relevant intellectual production of the period, not always remembered by many commentators.