MIA: Marxist Writers: Peter Fryer

 

Peter Fryer Internet Archive

Peter Fryer

February 18, 1927 – October 31, 2006)

Peter Fryer ( was the British Communist Party Daily Worker’s correspondent in Hungary whose dispatches were censored in by the Communist Party back in London. His shock at the events in Hungary in 1956 caused Fryer to abandon his previous held support for Stalinism and move toward the Marxism-Leninism of the Trotskyist movement. He remained a Trotskyist for the rest of his life.

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Bibliography of Peter Fryer’s Works

Obituary of Peter Fryer by Terry Brotherstone, 2006 from The Guardian

Obituary of Peter Fryer by Ken Coates

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Lenin as Philosopher (September 1957)

An open letter to members of the Socialist Labour League and other Marxists (November 1959)

Blimps With Little Red Flags, Encounter, October 1969


A List of Peter Fryer’s Writings

All descriptions come by way of Index Books, Fryer’s publisher, Index Books, Ltd, London.
To purchase these books and support the future publishing efforts by Index Books, please visit their web site.

The Hungarian Tragedy

Peter Fryer’s classic account of the armed confrontation between the Hungarian people and the Stalinist regime in 1956. Peter Fryer was the British Communist Party Daily Worker’s correspondent in Hungary whose dispatches were censored in London. No account of the Hungarian revolution is complete without a study of Fryer’s reports. This edition is expanded to include Peter Fryer’s other writings of the period which show how the shock waves affected the Communist Party in Britain.


The Politics of Windrush

As a reporter for the Daily Worker, Peter Fryer met the Empire Windrushat Tilbury in 1948 and interviewed many of the 492 West Indian passengers. Although black people and other settlers had been in Britain for centuries, the arrival of the Windrush marked a turning point. The commitment to Britain of these African Caribbeans is a testimony to their resilience in the face of racism, loneliness and adversity. Encouraged to come to Britain forcheap labour, they contributed to the rebuilding necessary after the second world war.

The book contains the text of a talk given by Peter Fryer in Leeds and Brixton on the fiftieth anniversary of the arrival of the Windrush. Edited by Clare Cowen, it is illustrated with historical photographs and press cuttings and includes the discussion at the Brixton meeting.


Aspects of British Black History

In a few short chapters, black people’s contribution to British history is outlined. It shows how long there has been a significant black presence in Britain and includes an account of the black Chartists. A vital part of the history of everyone in Britain.


Lucid, Vigorous and Brief: advice to new writers

Want to know when to use a semi-colon or a comma? Peter Fryer’s guidance on writing clear prose is particularly good at puncturing the pompous and picking up the pretentious. It includes chapters on topics such as how to write a sentence, how to write a paragraph, how to write an article, how to write a news story, and the signs of a careful writer.

Known as an experienced socialist journalist, Peter Fryer’s style and tips are useful for anyone who needs to write to be understood, particularly for journalism and report-writing.



Last revised on: 31 January 2017