From poverty and a Yorkshire orphanage, one of the most significant cultural critic to come out of England in the twentieth century.

From lowly beginnings, Herbert Read grew to be an important figure in the worlds of anarchism and the arts. This compilation of essays with colour illustrations explores all aspects of his work and political thought.

Between 1940 and 1960 Herbert Read effectively defined the modernist art movement during that period. He was a major art theorist and writer on literature, and a key figure in anarchist politics.

One of the first English writers to do so, Read embraced the Existentialist theories of Jean-Paul Sartre. Also a notable poet of the First World War, in later years he helped found numerous art organisations, including the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) in London. And yet, after his death in 1968, he became an almost forgotten figure in art and cultural studies, eclipsed by later figures such as Clement Greenberg and Raymond Williams.

Sixteen of the world’s leading writers on modernist cultural history look at Read’s work again, focusing on his anarchist political beliefs, his work on art and literature, and his own creative writings. Placed in the context of twentieth century cultural life, this book offers startling explanations for his neglect by later writers on modernism.

Illustrated in full colour, with images of works by many of the artists Read championed