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Marcus Rediker is Distinguished Professor of Atlantic History at the University of Pittsburgh. His “histories from below,” including The Slave Ship: A Human History, have won numerous awards, including the George Washington Book Prize, and have been translated into seventeen languages worldwide. He has produced a film, Ghosts of Amistad, with director Tony Buba, and written a play, “The Return of Benjamin Lay,” with playwright Naomi Wallace. He is currently writing a book about escaping slavery by sea in antebellum America.

Books and Other Writings

 

Under the Banner of King Death book cover by Marcus Rediker

Under the Banner of King Death

Pirates of the Atlantic, A Graphic Novel

by David Lester and Marcus Rediker, with Paul Buhle. A tale of mutiny, bloody battle, and social revolution, Under the Banner of King Death novelizes for the first time the real pirates, an itinerant community of outsiders, behind our legends.
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Book cover of Prophet Against Slavery by Marcus Rediker

Prophet Against Slavery
Benjamin Lay, A Graphic Novel

by David Lester, Marcus Rediker, and Paul Buhle
The revolutionary life of an 18th-century dwarf activist who was among the first to fight against slavery and animal cruelty. An action-packed chronicle of the remarkable and radical Benjamin Lay.
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Book cover of A Global History of Runaways by Marcus Rediker

A Global History of Runaways
Workers, Mobility, and Capitalism, 1600–1850

ed. by Marcus Rediker, Titas Chakraborty, and Matthias van Rossum
During global capitalism's long ascent from 1600–1850, workers of all kinds—slaves, indentured servants, convicts, domestic workers, soldiers, and sailors—repeatedly ran away from their masters and bosses, with profound effects.
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Marcus Rediker @MarcusRediker ·
14 Sep 1834926274147463434

It was my honor to write the prologue to the Spanish edition of @nfrykman's *The Bloody Flag: Mutiny in the Age of Atlantic Revolution,” published by @LaTormenta_Eds. The book had already appeared in French and I am hoping for more languages to come.
https://edicioneslatormenta.com/product/bandera-de-sangre/

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Marcus Rediker @MarcusRediker ·
11 Sep 1833913451150016778

Last May I visited the Museum of Memory and Human Rights in Santiago, Chile, dedicated to the military coup against Salvador Allende on this date, Sept. 11, in 1973. Facing imminent death, Allende spoke fearlessly: “Long live Chile! Long live the people! Long live the workers!”

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Marcus Rediker @MarcusRediker ·
10 Sep 1833469706881077433

I just received my author’s copies of the Thai edition of *Under the Banner of King Death” Pirates of the Atlantic, A Graphic Novel* by @lestermecca, Paul Buhle, and me. Thanks to @NetiwitC and @SamyanPress for bringing this story of maritime rebellion to Thailand.

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Marcus Rediker @MarcusRediker ·
8 Sep 1832736593074954691

I am delighted that the South Korean editions of *The Fearless Benjamin Lay* and *Prophet against Slavery*, both published by @daziwonM, have been reviewed by Professor Yeom Woon-ok on the "Footprints" section of the "Human Rights Solidarity" website in Seoul.

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Marcus Rediker @MarcusRediker ·
6 Sep 1832011830849380529

One of the great things about living in Pittsburgh: every summer you get to see an August Wilson play performed outdoors in the playwright’s childhood backyard in the Hill District. Saw Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company's excellent production of *Radio Golf* last night.

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Marcus Rediker @MarcusRediker ·
4 Sep 1831289326929432862

My new book, *Freedom Ship: The Uncharted History of Escaping Slavery by Sea*, to be published by Viking Penguin in May 2025, is available for pre-order from several outlets. Thanks in advance for your interest.

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/566407/freedom-ship-by-marcus-rediker/

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Marcus Rediker @MarcusRediker ·
7 Sep 2022 1567471938024443904

Coming Jan. 2023. Here’s my blurb: “Pirates captured the imagination of writers and readers centuries ago, and David Graeber reveals why. He has produced one of the most fascinating, original, and altogether brilliant books ever written about these unruly outlaws.”

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New Play, “The Return of Benjamin Lay”

"The Return of Benjamin Lay," a play by Marcus Rediker, promotional graphic"The Return of Benjamin Lay," a play by Marcus Rediker, promotional graphic

Written by Marcus Rediker and Naomi Wallace, world premiere at the Finborough Theatre, London, June 13–July 8, 2023

Featuring acclaimed American actor Mark Povinelli and directed by RSC Honorary Associate Director Ron Daniels, “The Return of Benjamin Lay” sweeps across the centuries in a bold exploration of an utterly impossible man.

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Ghosts of Amistad Film Website

Screen shot of the Ghosts of Amistad documentary website
Ghosts of Amistad Film now FREE
Full-length film online in English with subtitled versions in French, Italian and Spanish

Ghosts of Amistad chronicles a trip to Sierra Leone to visit the home villages of the people who seized the slave schooner Amistad in 1839, to interview elders about local memory of the case, and to search for the long-lost ruins of Lomboko, the slave trading factory where their cruel transatlantic voyage began. The documentary film’s new website includes numerous resources, including study guides, to support educators around this topic.

Visit Site Study Guides

Ghosts of Amistad award laurels