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 so ...

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 me ...

, Victoria.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 Solidarity is a Trotskyist organisation in Australia. The group is a member of the International Socialist Tendency and has branches in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane and Perth. The organisation was formed in 2008 from a merger between groups e ...

(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 Stephen Jolly (born 1962) is an Australian politician, socialist activist, author and construction worker. He is a councillor in the City of Yarra and previously was the President and lead candidate for the Victorian Socialists during the 201 ...

and the Victorian Socialists.

Publications

''Radical Melbourne'' ( Vulgar Press, 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 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 , established_ ...

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

, a founder of the Communist Party of Australia. 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 gener ...

to his association with the Trotskyist Fourth International; it also examines his turbulent personal life and his relationships with writers such as Katharine Susannah Prichard,

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. ''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 Antony Loewenstein (born 1974) is an Australian German freelance investigative journalist, author and film-maker. Life Loewenstein has written for ''The New York Times'', ''The Guardian'', ''Haaretz'', ''The Washington Post'', ''The New York R ...

. ''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 university, public research university in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1887 by Francis Ormond, RMIT began as a night school offering cla ...

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, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territo ...

'', ''

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 spectato ...

'', ''

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 Brisban ...

'' 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 ''Th ...

'', ''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 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