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| Karl Marx and Jenny von Westphalen |
Karl Marx’s two hundredth
birth anniversary was celebrated on May 5th of this year. His philosophy, as expressed in the Communist
Manifesto and other writings, is revered by some and reviled by others. The
purpose of this article is not to discuss Marxism, but to bring to light some
odd facts about this influential thinker.
1) Ironically,
Marx didn’t like Russians. A lot of his antipathy came from his fellow Germans
who, at that time, regarded Russians as barbarians. He also considered Russia, under
control of the Tsar at that time, to be the biggest enemy of communism and
thought his revolutionary ideas best-fitted for England, France and Germany.
2) He
named all his daughters “Jenny” in honor of his wife Jenny von Westphalen. It
appears that he loved his wife dearly, but there is evidence that he had an
affair with their housekeeper, Helene Dumuth.
3) One of his maternal uncles founded the Phillips Company (later Phillips
Electronics) and became an extremely wealthy man. Loans from his family were
crucial for Marx’s financial solvency
4) He
had to use pseudonyms to rent houses or flats in order to escape surveillance from
authorities. He remained quite poor for most of his life.
5) He
worked as a reporter for an American newspaper, the New York Daily Tribune,
founded by Horace Greeley in 1841. It provided a source of regular income while
he lived in London.
6) Marx
suffered from terrible health. He drank copiously, smoked excessively and slept
poorly. This aggravated an existing liver problem and caused him much pain.
7) He
suffered from “carbuncles,” or painful boils on the skin, brought about by his
poor liver, bad diet and habits, and was blamed for his sarcastic and insulting
nature, which he displayed even to his closest friends. The abscesses were so
bad that he could neither sit nor work in an upright position.
8) He
died a stateless person. Though Prussian (German) by birth, he was exiled because
of his radical activities. He also lived in France and Belgium, both of which ordered
him to leave. He finally settled in London, where he wrote most of his famous
works.
9) Only
between nine and eleven persons attended his funeral, including his two
surviving daughters and their husbands. His tomb is located in the East
Highgate Cemetery, London.
10) In
honor of Marx’s bicentennial, the Government of China gifted a 4.5 meter (15
foot) statue of the man to Germany. It was installed in Trier, the small
Westphalian town where Marx was born, on the fifth of May, 2018.
Mohan Ashtakala is the author of The Yoga Zapper, published by Books We Love.
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