Andrew O’Hagan: Julian Assange: The Unauthorised Autobiography (2011)

“In December 2010, Julian Assange signed a contract with Canongate Books to write a book – part memoir, part manifesto – for publication the following year. At the time, Julian said: ‘I hope this book will become one of the unifying documents of our generation. In this highly personal work, I explain our global struggle to force a new relationship between the people and their governments.’

In the end, the work was to prove too personal.

Despite sitting for more than fifty hours of taped interviews discussing his life and the work of WikiLeaks with the writer he had enlisted to help him, Julian became increasingly troubled by the thought of publishing an autobiography. After reading the first draft of the book at the end of March, Julian declared: ‘All memoir is prostitution.’ In June 2011, with thirty-eight publishing houses around the world committed to releasing the book, Julian told us he wanted to cancel his contract.

We disagree with Julian’s assessment of the book. We believe it explains both the man and his work, underlining his commitment to the truth. Julian always claimed the book was well written; we agree, and this also encouraged us to make the book available to readers. And the contract? By the time Julian wanted to cancel the deal he had already used the advance money to settle his legal bills. So the contract still stands. We have decided to honour it – and to publish.

This book is the unauthorised first draft. It is passionate, provocative and opinionated – like its author. It fulfils the promise of the original proposal and we are proud to publish it.” (publisher)

Ghostwritten by Andrew O’Hagan
Publisher Canongate Books, September 2011
ISBN 085786386X, 9780857863867
352 pages

review (David Leigh, Guardian)
review (James Ball, New Statesman)
review (Economist)

publisher
google books

PDF (MOBI; updated on 2012-8-5)

The Occupied Wall Street Journal, Nos. 1-2 (2011) [English/Spanish]

“Occupy Wall Street is the beginning of a whole new kind of democracy: a bottom-up people’s democracy led by the 99%. It is a bold vision for the future that is beginning to inspire the nation. However, to pull it off, we’re going to need a robust people’s media unbeholden to corporate money. If we want people’s democracy then we’ve got to build a people’s media — the two are inseparable.

We want to be the people’s media. Our first project is The Occupy Wall Street Journal, a four-page broadsheet newspaper with an ambitious print run of 50,000. It’s aimed at the general public. The idea is to explain what the protest is about and profile different people who have joined and why they joined. We will explain the issues involved and how the general assembly process operates at Liberty Plaza. It will also offer resources and ways to join. The emphasis will be on quality content, design, photography and artwork that uses incisive humor to make it a lively read.

Future projects include longer editions of the newspaper, bold stickers, edgy posters, colorful palm cards and inspiring flyers.

This project is a volunteer effort: every penny you donate will go directly to printing and distribution.

Occupy Wall Street Media is not the “official” media of the occupation — there is no official media! This is one attempt by a group of journalists who support the occupation to offer a way for the general public to hear the stories, perspectives and ideas from inside the movement. We think the more voices, ideas and media the better.” (from project’s Kickstarter page)

authors

commentary on Issue 2 (Daryl Lang, BreakingCopy.com)
commentary on Issue 1 (Daryl Lang, BreakingCopy.com)

Issue 1, published in early October 2011, 4 pages
PDF, Scribd (EN)
PDF, Scribd (ES)

Issue 2, published on 8 October 2011, 4 pages
PDF, Scribd (EN)

transversal, 10/11: #occupy and assemble∞ (2011)

“From the sit-ins on the Kasbah Square in Tunis to the tents on Rothschild Boulevard in Tel Aviv, from the encampments on the Puerta del Sol in Madrid to Syntagma Square in Athens, from the Wisconsin Uprising to Occupy LA, from Tahrir Square in Cairo to Liberty Plaza in New York – there is an incredible movement of occupations growing in this year of 2011. Slogans like “They don’t represent us” call for a non-representationist political practice, inventive forms of assembling bring new meaning to the good old general assembly, reappropriations of space and time thwart the logic of private and public: There is a new abstract machine in the making, traversing the local practices, empowering itself with every new space that is occupied, every new assembly that finds another form of expression and sociality. This issue of transversal is a discursive component of this abstract machine emerging from the actual experiences of Occupy Wall Street, dedicated to all the precarious occupiers in the world.” (from Editorial)

Contributions by Judith Butler, Isabell Lorey, Dan S. Wang, Gerald Raunig, Nato Thompson, Nicole Demby

Editors: Aileen Derieg, Isabell Lorey, Raimund Minichbauer, Gerald Raunig
Translator: Aileen Derieg
Publisher eipcp – European Institute for Progressive Cultural Policies, Vienna/Linz
ISSN 1811-1696
Copyleft

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