The Misery of this World. Frantz Fanon

Written at the height of the Algerian War of Independence against French colonial rule and first published in 1961, Frantz Fanon’s seminal work The Misery of This World examines the role of class, race, national culture, and violence in the struggle for freedom. With passion and anger, Fanon exposes the economic decline and psychological degradation caused by imperialism. It was Fanon, himself a psychotherapist, who pointed out the connection between colonial warfare and mental illness, and also showed that the struggle for freedom from oppressors must be combined with the development of a national culture. Frantz Fanon’s The Misery of This World is one of the most famous anti-colonial texts of the 20th century, and its insightful observation and uncompromising approach continues to inspire those fighting for freedom and independence today.