Jeff Sparrow (born 1969) is an Australian

left-wing Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...

writer, editor and former

socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the ...

activist based in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metro ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

.Jeff Sparrow on Killing
, ''The Book Show'', 2 July 2009. Accessed: 5 December 2009. He is the co-author of ''Radical Melbourne: A Secret History'' and ''Radical Melbourne 2: The Enemy Within''Radical Melbourne 2: The Enemy Within
, ''Readings.com''. Accessed: 8 January 2010. (both with sister, Jill Sparrow). He is also the author of ''Communism: A Love Story'' and ''Killing: Misadventures in Violence''.

Political activism

As a student activist and member of the

Trotskyist Trotskyism is the political ideology and branch of Marxism developed by Ukrainian-Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky and some other members of the Left Opposition and Fourth International. Trotsky self-identified as an orthodox Marxist, a ...

group, the International Socialist Organisation (ISO), Sparrow was one of the

Austudy Five The Austudy Five was the epithet given to a group of five activists arrested in 1992 at a National Union of Students (NUS) national demonstration in Melbourne, Australia. NUS had called the demonstration around the Keating government's propose ...

, controversially arrested after a protest in 1992. He was expelled from the ISO in 1995 and helped found the splinter organisation, Socialist Alternative (SA). After leaving SA, he was involved for some years in the group Civil Rights Defence. In 2018 he endorsed Stephen Jolly and the Victorian Socialists.

Publications

''Radical Melbourne'' (

Vulgar Press Vulgar Press is a publishing house based in Melbourne, Australia. Established in 1999, the publisher's stated aim is "the publication of working-class and other radical forms of writing". Vulgar Press publishes a number of books and magazines for ...

, 2001) presents a guide through the first 100 years of political radicalism in Melbourne, focusing on the structures, streets and public places that remain today, and illustrated by rarely seen images from the archives of the State Library of Victoria. Journalist and author

John Pilger John Richard Pilger (; born 9 October 1939) is an Australian journalist, writer, scholar, and documentary filmmaker. He has been mainly based in Britain since 1962. He was also once visiting professor at Cornell University in New York. Pilger ...

called ''Radical Melbourne'' "a brilliantly original, long overdue unveiling of a great city's true past". The book inspired ''Radical Brisbane'', a similar project about the

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

capital, by Raymond Evans and Carole Ferrier. The sequel, ''Radical Melbourne 2: The Enemy Within'' (

, 2004), was described by reviewer Ian Morrison as "sparkl ngwith furious wit ... the Sparrows are devastatingly funny." ''Communism: A Love Story'' (

Melbourne University Press Melbourne University Publishing (MUP) is the book publishing arm of the University of Melbourne. History MUP was founded in 1922 as Melbourne University Press to sell text books and stationery to students, and soon began publishing books itself. ...

, 2007) is a biography of the radical intellectual

Guido Baracchi Guido is a given name Latinised from the Old High German name Wido. It originated in Medieval Italy. Guido later became a male first name in Austria, Germany, the Low Countries, Scandinavia, Spain, Portugal, Latin America and Switzerland ...

, a founder of the

Communist Party of Australia The Communist Party of Australia (CPA), known as the Australian Communist Party (ACP) from 1944 to 1951, was an Australian political party founded in 1920. The party existed until roughly 1991, with its membership and influence having been i ...

. The book traces Baracchi's political career from his support for the

Industrial Workers of the World The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), members of which are commonly termed "Wobblies", is an international labor union that was founded in Chicago in 1905. The origin of the nickname "Wobblies" is uncertain. IWW ideology combines general ...

to his association with the Trotskyist

Fourth International The Fourth International (FI) is a revolutionary socialist international organization consisting of followers of Leon Trotsky, also known as Trotskyists, whose declared goal is the overthrowing of global capitalism and the establishment of ...

; it also examines his turbulent personal life and his relationships with writers such as

Katharine Susannah Prichard Katharine Susannah Prichard (4 December 18832 October 1969) was an Australian author and co-founding member of the Communist Party of Australia. Early life Prichard was born in Levuka, Fiji in 1883 to Australian parents. She spent her childhood ...

Lesbia Harford Lesbia Harford (9 April 1891 – 5 July 1927) was an Australian poet, novelist and political activist. Biography Lesbia Venner Keogh was the first child of Edmund Joseph Keogh and Beatrice Eleanor Moore, great-great-granddaughter of an Earl of ...

and

Betty Roland Betty Roland (22 July 1903 – 12 February 1996) was an Australian writer of plays, screenplays, novels, children's books and comics. Early years Betty Roland was born Mary Isobel Maclean at Kaniva, Victoria, the daughter of Roland and Matilda ...

. It was shortlisted for the

Colin Roderick Award The Colin Roderick Award is presented annually by the Foundation for Australian Literary Studies at Queensland's James Cook University for "the best book published in Australia which deals with any aspect of Australian life". It was first presente ...

. ''Killing: Misadventures in Violence'' (

, 2009) is a study of the social and psychological consequences of executions, combat and animal slaughter. It was a finalist in the Melbourne Prize for Literature Best Writing Award 2009. ''Left Turn: Political Essays for the New Left'' (

, 2012) was co-edited by Sparrow and Antony Loewenstein. ''Money Shot: A Journey into Porn and Censorship'' (Scribe, 2012) "probes the contradictions of our relationship to sex and censure, excess and folly, erotica and vice." ''No Way But This: In Search of Paul Robeson'' (Scribe, 2017). ''Trigger Warnings: Political Correctness and the Rise of the Right'' (Scribe, 2018) "draws lessons from contemporary debates and historical struggles to argue for an alternative to the seemingly oppositional binary of class or identity that dominates liberal discourse". ''Fascists Among Us: Online Hate and the Christchurch Massacre'' (Scribe, 2019) demonstrates "the importance of confronting the truth rather than retreating from its horrors". ''Crimes Against Nature: Capitalism and Global Heating'' (Scribe, 2021) proposes a counter-argument to ‘we are all to blame for global warming,’ providing a solution drawn from environmental history and peoples’ actions.

Later work

After completing a PhD in Creative Media at

RMIT University RMIT University, officially the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology,, section 4(b) is a public research university in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1887 by Francis Ormond, RMIT began as a night school offering classes in art, scien ...

in 2007, Sparrow became a Research Fellow at Victoria University and the editor of the literary journal '' Overland''. His work has appeared in ''

The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria (Australia), Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Austral ...

'', ''

The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...

'', ''Overland'', ''

Arena An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectator ...

'', ''

Meanjin ''Meanjin'' (), formerly ''Meanjin Papers'' and ''Meanjin Quarterly'', is an Australian literary magazine. The name is derived from the Turrbal word for the spike of land where the city of Brisbane is located. It was founded in 1940 in Brisbane ...

'' and other print publications; he contributes regularly to ''

Crikey Crikey is an Australian electronic magazine comprising a website and email newsletter available to subscribers. Crikey was described by the former Federal Opposition Leader Mark Latham as the "most popular website in Parliament House" in '' T ...

'', ''ABC The Drum Unleashed'', '' The Guardian Australia'' and other online outlets. In late 2009, he began co-hosting the ''Aural Text'' show on Melbourne radio station

3RRR 3RRR (pronounced "Three Triple R", or simply "Triple R") is an Australian community radio station, based in Melbourne. 3RRR first commenced broadcasting in 1976 from the studios of 3ST, the student radio station of the Royal Melbourne Institut ...

with Alicia Sometimes.Aural Text
''Triple R Program Guide''. . Accessed: 20 January 2010.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sparrow, Jeff Living people Australian non-fiction writers Australian Trotskyists Activists from Melbourne Writers from Melbourne Australian Marxist writers 1969 births