Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist

by Alexander Berkman

"Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist" by Alexander Berkman is a memoir published in 1912. It recounts Berkman's fourteen years in Western Penitentiary of Pennsylvania following his attempted assassination of industrialist Henry Clay Frick during the 1892 Homestead Strike. Written in diary-like first-person present tense, this coming-of-age narrative tracks his psychological struggle with prison life, his evolving views on political violence, and his gradual recognition of shared humanity among prisoners. The work also explores his relationship with Emma Goldman and candidly addresses homosexuality in prison.