Description

Communicating Vessels
An Anthology of Essays
Anthony Leskov, editor and primary contributor

This 200-page book brings together various essays, parables and poems from the publication Communicating Vessels. At first glance it might appear to be a quirky blend. But taken as a whole this work attempts to recover our ability to historicize, reason and dream. Leskov draws links between the world as it once existed, as it exists today and how it could be potentially different in the future. Interspersed throughout is a searching effort to bring together the best elements of social and political theory, history, literature and poetry. As a lifelong researcher of social history and social movements, Leskov vigorously argues against the absurd “end of history” thesis put forth by the academy and society at large. Leskov suggests we still have the ability to remake our lives and our world. But to get there we must confront both our lives and our world with imagination, resolve, brainpower and action… [a quirky blend?].

The overall aim is to grapple with these questions, present real choices and to incite people to experiment with new ways of approaching themselves, others and the broader world.

Leskov remarks in his Introduction: “The pieces reproduced in this collection are not exactly journalism, though a few could be interpreted in that light. For the most part they are essays. Like the 16th Century French writer, Montaigne, the pieces in here are sometimes fluid and straight to the point, and other times meandering. In the long run I think they are all coherent. And even if a particular essay has twists and turns, an effort is made to bring it all together in the concluding paragraphs.