Recording Angel

The Recording Angel, penned by Edwin Arnold Brenholtz, stands as one of the pioneering American proletarian novels, crafted to inspire social reform and political revolution among the working class. Its exploration of themes such as economic disparity between the producers and consumers, political collusion within the upper echelons, and the erosion of the middle class resonates powerfully even in todays global landscape. Promoted as a romance of the future, this fictional narrative intricately weaves a tale of class struggle between laborers and the powerful trust magnates of the burgeoning industrial economy, centered around a groundbreaking electric machine that was merely a figment of imagination in 1905 but is now a commonplace reality. In addition to authoring at least four books, Brenholtz was a prolific poet and a regular contributor to the International Socialist Review, engaging with notable figures such as poet Edwin Markham, labor leaders Theodore and Eugene Debs, controversial activist George D. Herron, and writer Samuel Clemens. - Summary by Andru Bemis