A SITUATIONIST BIBLIOGRAPHY
(Guy DeBord is dead, alas...)
- Debord, Guy. The Society of the Spectacle. Detroit:
Black & Red, 1983.
Society of The Spectacle (black and red, paper, 221
pp) $4.50. First published in france in 1967, this amazing work critiques
society and everyday life as "spectacle," stating that we are mediated
not only from one another but from our own lives by a social relation of
images that serves to dominate and discipline our lives; rather than
living our lives, we "watch " as passive spactators. This book, along
with vaneigem's Revolution of everyday life and the pamphlet "On the
Poverty of Student Life" served to galvanize French students in the late
60s and had a direct impact upon the May 68 uprising.
- Vaneigem, Raoul. The Revolution of Everyday Life.
London: Left Bank Books and Rebel Press, 1983.
the revolution of everyday life (left bank/rebel
press, paper, 216 pp) $11.95. The classic complement to debord's society
of the spectacle, vaneigem examines the minutia of power as "abstracted
mediation and mediated abstraction" that permeates everyday life and the
means of seizing control of our lives and truly living.
- Vie'net, Rene'. Enrage's and Situationists in the Occupations
Movement, May-June 1968. New York: Autonomedia, 1990.
- Situationist International. The Veritable Split in the
International. London: Chronos Press, 1990.
The veritable Split In The International (Chronos,
paper, 138 pp)
$14.95. The publication that ended the Situationist International in
1972, this book contains the "These on the SI and its Time" by debord and
Sanguinetti, by then the only remaining members.
- Situationist International Anthology. Ed. Ken Knabb.
Berkeley: Bureau of Public Secrets, 1981.
Situationist inernational anthology (jBoPS, paper, 406
pp) $15.00. A massive collection of articles and excerpts from the full
run of the journal INTERNATIONALE SITUATIONNISTE, including pre-SI
lettrist material and documents from the May 68 uprising.
- Debord, Guy. Comments on the Society of the Spectacle.
London: Verso,1991.
Comments on the society of the spectacle (verso,
paper, 94pp) $14.95. Guy Debord's 1988 self-critique of his classic work,
bringing it with surprising force into the 80s and 90s.
- Ibid. Panegyric. London: Verso, 1991.
panegyric (verson, paper, 79 pp) $13.95 The first
volume of debord's autobiography.
- Plant, Sadie. The most radical gesture: The Situationist
International in a postmodern age (London: Routledge,
1992).
- Situationist International, On the Poverty of Student
Life (Reprint of English translation of French edition of 1966)
SITUATIONIST INTERNATIONAL. on the poverty of student
life (dark star/rebel press, pamphlet, 32pp) $1.95. Classic pamphlet
of the mid-late 60s in france that received direct condemnation by
authorities and fanned the flames of discontent among student radicals.
Some other misc. Situationist works:
- KNABB, ken. The Bureau of Public Secrets (BoPS,
pamphlets, 39pp) $2.00. The first issue of the california-based pro-situ
journal from the early 70s.
- The realization and suppression of religion (BoPS,
pamphlet, 15pp) $1.00. A situationist critique of religion, including
digs at the ego-maniacs in the SI.
- The relevance of rexroth (BoPS, paper, 88pp) $5.00. A
situationist biographical examination of kenneth rexroth, the important
anarchist poet of the twentieth century.
- SANGUINETTI, Gianfranco. On terrorism and the state
(Chronos, paper, 101 pp) $7.00. According to Sanguinetti, terrorism and
the state are two sides of the same spectacle, each complementing and
reinforcing the other, with the state making use of terrorism to
strengthen its position of domination.
- VANEIGEM, raoul. the book of pleasures (Pending press,
paper, 105 pp) $11.95. "All pleasure is creative if it avoids exchange.
Loving what pleases me, I have to build a space in life exposed as little
as possible to pollution by business, or i will not find the strenght to
bring the old world down, and the fungus among us will rot my dreams.
while the state is in disarray, strike hard at business and its friends.
doing exactly what you feel like is pleasure's greatest weapon,
connecting individual acts with collective practice; we all do it. if
rejecting survival made the l968 movement, taking hold of life will open
the era of universal self-management."
- WOLLEN , Peter, et al. On the passage of a few people through
a rather brief moment in time (MIT Press, paper, 200 pp) $14.95.
This book contains essays by guy debord, greil marcus and thoman levin,
as well as original texts, photographs, comics, film still and color
plates of the situationist work organized in late 1989 and early 1990.
an excellent compilation.
Perennial Books is John Petrovato and Chris Halls, with immense
assistance from Max "the Shadow" blechman.
the catalog is excellent and well worth sending john a couple bucks for
costs.
send orders to:
Perennial Books
PO BOX B14
Montague, MA 01351
send 1.50 for the first book, and .25 for ea. additional book that you
order.
Return to Politix