Untimely Papers

More about the book

Randolph Silliman Bourne, a progressive writer and intellectual from New Jersey, emerged as a voice for young radicals during World War I. A Columbia University graduate, his influential articles were featured in notable journals like The Seven Arts and The New Republic. Bourne's most significant work is his unfinished essay "The State," published posthumously in Untimely Papers, which introduces the poignant phrase "war is the health of the state," reflecting on how governments expand their power and control during wartime.