Pirate Enlightenment

2023 book by David Graeber

Pirate Enlightenment

Author| David Graeber
Subject| Anthropology
Publisher| Farrar Straus & Giroux

Publication date

| January 2023
Pages| 208
ISBN| 9780374610203

Pirate Enlightenment, or the Real Libertalia is a book by David Graeber, published posthumously in 2023.

## Description

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In Pirate Enlightenment, or the Real Libertalia, author David Graeber argues that Ratsimilaho of the Zana-Malata Malagasy ethnic group and descendent of a pirate oversaw a period of democracy and peace as a precursor to the Age of Enlightenment. Graeber contests the common portrayal of Ratsimilaho as a European civilizer.[1]

## Publication

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The author, pictured in 2015

The book began as an expansion of a chapter of Graeber's On Kings (2017). Revisiting his early 1990s anthropology dissertation work in Madagascar, Graeber focused on the Zana-Malata and Betsimisaraka ethnic groups.[1] Graeber finished writing the book in 2013.[2]

Allen Lane acquired the book's UK rights via Janklow & Nesbit in September 2022.[3] Its first print run with Farrar Straus & Giroux was 200,000 copies in the United States.[4]

## Reception

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Pirate Enlightenment placed on LitHub and The Guardian's most anticipated books of 2023.[5][6] Upon its release, it appeared on the Indie Bestseller list for hardcover nonfiction, based on reporting from independent bookstores in the United States.[7]

## References

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1. ^ a b Dean, Sam (January 21, 2023). "Did pirates advance democracy? David Graeber's last book makes the case". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 21, 2023. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
2. ^ Polonsky, Naomi (October 31, 2022). "A Joyous Carnival to Celebrate David Graeber's Lasting Legacy". Hyperallergic. Archived from the original on December 8, 2022. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
3. ^ Bayley, Sian (September 21, 2022). "Allen Lane to publish posthumous book by anthropologist Graeber". The Bookseller. Archived from the original on September 22, 2022. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
4. ^ "The On-Sale Calendar: January 2023". Archived from the original on January 25, 2023. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
5. ^ "Lit Hub's Most Anticipated Books of 2023". Literary Hub. January 12, 2023. Archived from the original on January 21, 2023. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
6. ^ Jordan, Justine; Shariatmadari, David (December 31, 2022). "2023 in books: highlights for the year ahead". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on January 21, 2023. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
7. ^ "The Indie Bestseller List for the Week Ending Jan. 29, 2023". Daily Freeman. February 1, 2023. Archived from the original on February 2, 2023. Retrieved February 3, 2023.

## Bibliography

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* Brotton, Jerry (February 8, 2023). "Pirate Enlightenment by David Graeber — sea battles and radical social experiments". Financial Times. Archived from the original on February 10, 2023. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
* Carty, Pat (March 8, 2023). "Book review: How Madagascar pirates may have put traditional society to the sword". Business Post. Archived from the original on March 8, 2023. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
* Dabhoiwala, Fara (January 27, 2023). "Pirate Enlightenment, or the Real Libertalia by David Graeber review – utopia by the sea". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on January 29, 2023. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
* Dubrovsky, Nika; Chomsky, Noam (September 21, 2022). "Noam Chomsky on David Graeber's Pirate Enlightenment". ArtReview. Archived from the original on December 23, 2022. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
* Frankopan, Peter (January 24, 2023). "How Enlightened Were the Pirates of Madagascar?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on January 25, 2023. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
* Jones, Dan (January 21, 2023). "Pirate Enlightenment by David Graeber: a band of very unlikely philosophers". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Archived from the original on January 8, 2023. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
* Krishnan, Nikhil (January 19, 2023). "Were pirates pioneering socialists – or just filthy scallywags?". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on February 3, 2023. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
* Levin, Annie (January 30, 2023). "Review: David Graeber Argues that the Enlightenment Was Heavily Influenced by Pirates". The New York Observer. Archived from the original on January 31, 2023. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
* Rediker, Marcus (March 18, 2023). "The Hidden Treasures of Pirate Democracy". The Nation. ISSN 0027-8378. Archived from the original on March 18, 2023. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
* Smith, Justin EH (January 22, 2023). "The poetic history of David Graeber". New Statesman. Archived from the original on January 22, 2023. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
* Vandenburgh, Barbara (January 21, 2023). "David Graeber's 'Pirate Enlightenment,' Patricia Engel's 'Faraway World': 5 new must-read books". USA Today. Archived from the original on January 21, 2023. Retrieved January 21, 2023.

## External links

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* Official website

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David Graeber

Bibliography|

* Toward an Anthropological Theory of Value (2002)
* Fragments of an Anarchist Anthropology (2004)
* Lost People (2007)
* Direct Action: An Ethnography (2009)
* Debt (2011)
* The Democracy Project (2013)
* The Utopia of Rules (2015)
* On Kings (2017)
* Bullshit Jobs (2018)
* The Dawn of Everything (2021)
* Pirate Enlightenment (2023)
* The Ultimate Hidden Truth of the World (2024)

Related|

* Bullshit job
* Critique of work

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