Alexander Berkman (November 21, 1870 – June 28, 1936) was a leading member of the anarchist movement in the early 20th century, famous for both his political activism and his writing.∼Anarchist, writer, political activist. A leading member of the anarchist movement of the early 19th century, he was most famous for his writings and activism. He was born Ovsei Osipovich Berkman in the Russian Empire, the youngest of four children of a wealthy Jewish family. After the death of his parents, he emigrated to the United States in 1888. He lived in New York City, where he became involved in the anarchist movement. He was the lover and lifelong friend of anarchist Emma Goldman. He spent 14 years in prison after his failed assassination attempt of American businessman Henry Clay Frick. His prison experience became the basis for his first book, 'Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist', published in 1912. He later served as editor of Goldman's anarchist journal 'Mother Earth' and later his own journal 'The Blast'. His other works include 'The Russian Revolution and the Communist Party (1922), 'The Kronstadt Rebellion' (1922), 'My Disillusionment in Russia' (1923), 'My Further Disillusionment in Russia' (1924), 'The Bolshevik Myth' (1925), and 'Now and After: The ABC of Communist Anarchism' (1929). While living in France he organized a fund for aging anarchists and continued to fight on behalf of anarchist prisoners in the Soviet Union, and arranged the publication of 'Letters from Russian Prisons', detailing their persecution. He spent his last years working as an editor and translator. His health began to fail in the 1930's and he underwent two unsuccessful operations for a prostate condition in early 1936. In the early hours of June 28, 1936, unable to endure the physical pain of his ailment, he attempted suicide with a handgun but only managed to paralyze himself when the bullet lodged in his spinal column without immediately killing him. He sank into a coma that afternoon, and died at 10 o'clock the same night. He was buried in a common grave at the Cochez* Cemetery in Nice, France. [Bio by: Michael]

*Probable misspelling; no cemetery with this name is listed on FindAGrave.