5 He may be of German extraction, but much of the revolutionary and religious ferment arises from the Netherlands-a welcome emphasis.

The revolutionary decades of the 16th century are connected by a multi-named protagonist, who is at the same time without a name. 4īefore proceeding, a brief outline of the novel is perhaps in order, a novel that shows all the signs that the authors thoroughly enjoyed the writing thereof. Finally, I broach the matter of translation, offering both an alternative model to the relations between religious and political thought, and seeking a possible answer as to why many of those in the anti-capitalist movement have read Q, indeed why they are so interested in religious radicalism. What is intriguing about these tensions is that one finds them in both revolutionary political and religious traditions. These are the tensions between passion and reason, and between rupture and communalism, and the deep political ambivalence of theology. From tone I move to the issues raised by the novel. This is a tone of revolutionary appreciation of the Anabaptists and of Thomas Müntzer, but also one that sees the Reformation itself as a great revolutionary period. 3 In what follows, I analyse the tone of the novel, one that is set by a tradition that begins with Engels, runs through Karl Kautsky and Ernst Bloch and includes Antonio Gramsci. I would like to suggest that it is both an unexpected and lively contribution to the renewed debate over Marxism and religion and that it reveals some unexpected dimensions of the anti-capitalist movement. Written by the radical Italian collective, Luther Blissett (now Wu Ming, “nobody”), 2 it was first published online in Italian in 1999.

The long and wildly popular novel Q is a stunning reclamation of the revolutionary Christian tradition for a whole generation of anti-capitalist activists. Any prince, count or baron who, after being earnestly reminded of this truth, shall be unwilling to accept it, is to be beheaded or hanged”. In regard to what was to be understood by “the Gospel”, Münzer asserts: “It is an article of our creed, and one which we wish to realise, that all things are in common, and should be distributed as occasion requires, according to the several necessities of all.

Q by Luther Blissett