In this episode of Back in the USSR I perform Peter Barnes's one-act play "The Preacher" about the life of Jacques Roux, one of the most radical figures of the French Revolution. I follow this up with a discussion of the class struggle to lay claim to the culture of modern society and how progressive and radical writers and artists, including me, are fighting back against capitalist monopoly control over the cultural landscape. I also talk a bit about the fantasy novel that I'm currently working on and how it challenges the conventions of a deeply conservative literary genre.
Music by Billy Bragg "The Red Flag", Bruce Springsteen "Eyes on the Prize", Marxman "Dark are the Days", and Lee Reed "Bazooka Rap"