Chat with us
Manu Kant is a writer, journalist, satirist and working-class poet, but above all, a Marxist-Leninist. With his 16th book, he adopted the literary name Ivan Belinsky, inspired by Russian literature, the Soviet Union and its revolutionary history. He edits the Marxist website Engineers of the Human Soul (www.engineersofthehumansoul.com).
Born in Patiala, Punjab, and raised in Chandigarh, Kant studied journalism at Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, from 1987 to 1993, during the Soviet Union's final years. Russian literature, revolutionary thought and the intellectual climate of that period left a lasting imprint on his worldview. Russia remains close to his heart as a connection to its people, culture and revolutionary history.
Over the decades, he has contributed essays, satire and political commentary to newspapers and journals including The Tribune, The Indian Express, The Pioneer and the Kolkata-based weekly Frontier, founded by Samar Sen. His published books span poetry, satire, political reflection and literary commentary. His recent works include My Struggle: Satirical Poems on the Pradhan Cockroach — The Abhijeet Dipke Chronicles and Mera Naam Joker: Satirical Poems on Abhijeet Dipke.
Rooted in scientific socialism and revolutionary history, Kant draws inspiration from Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, Vladimir Ilyich Lenin and Joseph Stalin. He remains committed to the historic mission of the working class and opposes imperialism, colonialism, racism and social hierarchies that divide working people. His internationalist sympathies extend to workers, peasants and oppressed peoples across the world.
Kant deeply admires Spartacus, leader of the great slave revolt against Rome, whose struggle represents humanity's enduring fight against exploitation. He also holds Ernst Thälmann, the German communist leader, in profound admiration. He regards him as a true son of the working class, who fought and gave his life for its emancipation. Imprisoned by the Nazis in 1933, Thälmann was murdered at Buchenwald in August 1944.
From Toussaint Louverture and John Brown to Che Guevara, Bhagat Singh, Patrice Lumumba and Thomas Sankara, Kant sees a continuing tradition of anti-colonial and anti-imperialist struggle. In literature, he draws particular inspiration from the Russian democratic critic Vissarion Grigorievich Belinsky, whom he regards as his teacher, and the wider tradition of Russian literary and revolutionary writing.
The literary name Ivan Belinsky carries a threefold significance. "Belinsky" honours Vissarion Grigorievich Belinsky, the great nineteenth-century Russian literary and social critic whose writings have profoundly influenced him. "Ivan" evokes the ordinary Russian working man, the enduring figure of the underdog in Russian culture, and the Soviet Red Army soldiers whom Nazi Germans contemptuously referred to as "Ivans" during the Great Patriotic War. The name thus expresses his deep attachment to Russian literature, its people and the Soviet experience.
His last poetry collection, The Heart of Chandigarh: Poems on Those Who Wander, explores the lives of mentally ill people and others living on society's margins. Other books include Chandigarh: The Urban Poor — A Street Diary: Poems, 2015–2025, Mother: A Poetic Tribute to My Mother and The Mad, Mad, Mad West: A Satire on Uncle Sam's War on Russia.
Alongside his writing, Kant has spent decades building a personal library of Marxist and progressive literature, including rare works on revolutionary history, Soviet culture and the international labour movement. His literary practice adheres to socialist realism, drawing inspiration from Maxim Gorky, Bertolt Brecht and other writers associated with this tradition. His writing remains grounded in the lived experiences and struggles of workers, peasants and marginalised people.
Book Bazooka Publication बुक बज़ूका पब्लिकेशन
