Difference between revisions of "Anarchist Cookbook"

Latest revision as of 08:46, 27 September 2011

Kategorie:Wikipedia-Clone

Das Anarchist Cookbook wurde vom High-School-Absolventen William Powell 1969 geschrieben. Es enthält Anleitungen für die Herstellung von Sprengstoffen, Drogen, eine Anzahl inzwischen veralteter Geräte zum Ausnutzen von Telekommunikationsschwachstellen und andere kontroverse Themen.

Die darin beschriebenen Anleitungen und chemischen Verbindungen sind wegen der enthaltenen Fehler geeignet, schwerste Unfälle auch in den Händen der Bastler zu verursachen. Der Wert dieses Buches liegt in der Dokumentation der politischen Diktion der 1960er Jahre und seinem Kultstatus als amüsanter Schmöker.

Das anarchistische Kochbuch wurde zwischen 1968 und 1969 laut eigener Auskunft als Protest gegen die US-Amerikanische Regierung und den Vietnamkrieg verfasst. Die Quellen seien öffentliche Bibliotheken gewesen, in denen er militärische und Spezialkräfte-Handbücher einsah und zu seinem Buch zusammenstellte. Es sei 1970 ohne redaktionelle Überarbeitung von Lyle Stuart Inc. veröffentlicht worden.

Im Buch sind offenbar auch Urban Legends verarbeitet, wie dass Rauchen von Bananenschalen high machen soll.

Um das Werk ranken sich vielerlei Mythen und Legenden. Eine Theorie sagt, dass die US-Geheimdienste das Cookbook geschrieben hätten, um potentiellen Bombenlegern eins auszuwischen und den Anarchismus zu diskreditieren.

Der Autor hat sich mittlerweile von seinem Werk distanziert, das er als 19-jähriger verfasste. Er sei inzwischen verheirateter Vater und anglikanischer Christ. Da er die Rechte an dem Text verkauft hat, kann er seine weitere Verbreitung nicht verhindern. Er betont auch, dass er nie einer radikalen Gruppe angehört habe. Vielmehr war seine Intention ausschließlich gegen den Vietnamkrieg gerichtet. Wörtlich schreibt er: "Die zentrale Idee des Buches war, dass Gewalt eine akzeptable Form ist, politische Änderungen zu erwirken. Ich stimme damit nicht mehr überein."

Das Anarchist Cookbook ist in den Vereinigten Staaten und in Deutschland legal erhältlich.

Brief des Autors[edit]

Dear Mr. Shirriff,

I have recently been made aware of several websites that focus on The Anarchist Cookbook. As the author of the original publication some 30 plus years ago, it is appropriate for me to comment. I would appreciate it if you would post these comments as part of your website on the Anarchist Cookbook. Please do not include my e-mail address. However, should you wish to confirm the authenticity of this message, please do not hesitate to contact me at the above address.

The Anarchist Cookbook was written during 1968 and part of 1969 soon after I graduated from high school. At the time, I was 19 years old and the Vietnam War and the so-called "counter culture movement" were at their height. I was involved in the anti-war movement and attended numerous peace rallies and demonstrations. The book, in many respects, was a misguided product of my adolescent anger at the prospect of being drafted and sent to Vietnam to fight in a war that I did not believe in.

I conducted the research for the manuscript on my own, primarily at the New York City Public Library. Most of the contents were gleaned from Military and Special Forces Manuals. I was not member of any radical group of either a left or right wing persuasion.

I submitted the manuscript directly to a number of publishers without the help or advice of an agent. Ultimately, it was accepted by Lyle Stuart Inc. and was published verbatim - without editing - in early 1970. Contrary to what is the normal custom, the copyright for the book was taken out in the name of the publisher rather than the author. I did not appreciate the significance of this at the time and would only come to understand it some years later when I requested that the book be taken out of print.

The central idea to the book was that violence is an acceptable means to bring about political change. I no longer agree with this.

Apparently in recent years, The Anarchist Cookbook has seen a number of ‘copy cat’ type publications, some with remarkably similar titles (Anarchist Cookbook II, III etc). I am not familiar with these publications and cannot comment upon them. I can say that the original Anarchist Cookbook has not been revised or updated in any way by me since it was first published.

During the years that followed its publication, I went to university, married, became a father and a teacher of adolescents. These developments had a profound moral and spiritual effect on me. I found that I no longer agreed with what I had written earlier and I was becoming increasingly uncomfortable with the ideas that I had put my name to. In 1976 I became a confirmed Anglican Christian and shortly thereafter I wrote to Lyle Stuart Inc. explaining that I no longer held the views that were expressed in the book and requested that The Anarchist Cookbook be taken out of print. The response from the publisher was that the copyright was in his name and therefore such a decision was his to make - not the author’s. In the early 1980’s, the rights for the book were sold to another publisher. I have had no contact with that publisher (other than to request that the book be taken out of print) and I receive no royalties.

Unfortunately, the book continues to be in print and with the advent of the Internet several websites dealing with it have emerged. I want to state categorically that I am not in agreement with the contents of The Anarchist Cookbook and I would be very pleased (and relieved) to see its publication discontinued. I consider it to be a misguided and potentially dangerous publication which should be taken out of print.

William Powell

Literatur[edit]

• William Powell: The Anarchist Cookbook - ISBN 0-9623032-0-8

Weblinks[edit]

• The Anarchist Cookbook, gewaltfreie vegane Rezepte
• Brief des Autors und faq (engl)
• Download Site (engl.)
• Version 2000

Kategorie:Literatur Kategorie:Bücher