Small Archive of Letters by the Frankfurt School Philosopher Associated with Critical Theory

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MARCUSE, HERBERT. (1898-1979). German-born political theorist and Marxist philosopher associated with the Frankfurt School, critical theory and the New Left. A collection nine of TLSs (“Herbert Marcuse”) 4to. Written on stationery from The University of California at San Diego to Professor IRMA ANTONETTO (1920-1993), founder of the Associazione Culturale Italiana in Torino (Turin), on 4to.

Small Archive of Letters by the Frankfurt School Philosopher Associated with Critical Theory

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TLS. ½ p. March 28, 1968. Agreeing to lecture in Italy but not yet sure of his schedule.

TLS. ½ p. June 3, 1968. Regarding his lectures in Italy for March 1969, Marcuse prefers not too tight a schedule, “which would be rather a strain.”

TLS. ½ p. July 9, 1968. Regarding his lectures in Italy. “I would suggest that you be in touch with me again early this fall…when I will have my academic schedule for the coming year.”

TLS. 1p. November 13, 1968. Pleased that his lectures in Italy can begin in June 1969, adding, “I would be very grateful to you if you would make some more specific suggestions for a topic.”

TLS. ½ p. November 21, 1968. Marcuse accepts the lecture dates, adding, “I will try to formulate the title of my lecture and send it to you as soon as possible. I would also like to know how long these lectures usually are.”

TLS. ½ p. February 7, 1969. Offering a title for his lecture, “Beyond One-Dimensional Man.”

TLS. 2/3 p. April 28, 1969. Scheduling his lectures in Turin, Rome and Milan and wonders about his audience, “For example, would they be interested in and capable of digesting a more philosophical and theoretical talk? Would they still be interested in an analysis of the student movement? Would they be especially interested in the role of art in its relation to the political opposition today?”

TLS. ½ p. May 3, 1969. Asking for assistance in arranging transportation to Italy from London and hotel accommodations, “we would like a quiet place.”

TLS. ½p. May 13, 1969. Requests a slight change in his schedule and looking forward to meeting Professor Antonetto in Turin on June 12.

Herbert Marcuse

After collaborating with Martin Heidegger to write Hegel’s Ontology and the Theory of Historicity, Marcuse joined the Frankfurt’s Institute for Social Research, first at their Geneva outpost in 1933 and, from 1934-1942 at the Institute’s branch at Columbia University. His 1940 Reason and Revolution: Hegel and the Rise of Social Theory is considered a foundational text of critical theory and examines the theories of Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel and their influence on German authoritarianism and Karl Marx. During World War II, Marcuse was recruited to work for the United State Office of Strategic Services (the precursor to the CIA) and after the war, having become one of its most talented analysts, he was employed by the State Department as a specialist in Nazism. Returning to academia, Marcuse was on the faculty of Columbia, Harvard, Brandeis, and the University of California.

His 1955 Eros and Civilization: A Philosophical Inquiry into Freud synthesizes the theories of Marx and Sigmund Freud as they relate to disobedience and revolution and his influential 1964 One-Dimensional Man: Studies in the Ideology of Advanced Industrial Society criticized capitalism as well as communist Soviet Union and discussed how an individual’s integration in and dependence on an existing system suppresses revolutionary activity. The latter was considered one of the most subversive works of the 1960s and Marcuse was given the title “Philosopher of the New Left” for his influence on the that era’s intellectuals and political activists, including the anti-war student movement which, by 1968, saw protests on college campuses across the country. At the same time, in May 1968, Italian students motivated by anti-capitalist ideals occupied all of the country’s universities except one in what was known as the Sessantotto and which began two decades, known as the Years of Lead, marked by social upheaval and terrorism perpetrated by both far left Marxists and far right neo-fascist organizations.

All letters are folded with file holes in the left margin and are in very good condition.

Small Archive of Letters by the Frankfurt School Philosopher Associated with Critical Theory