Matthew Roberts – författare

Chartism, the British mass movement for democratic and social rights in the 1830s and 1840s, was profoundly shaped by the radical tradition from which it emerged. Yet, little attention has been paid to how Chartists saw themselves in relation to this diverse radical tradition or to the ways in which they invented their own tradition. Paine, Cobbett and other ‘founding fathers’, dead and alive, were used and in some cases abused by Chartists in their own attempts to invent a radical tradition. By drawing on new and exciting work in the fields of visual and material culture; cultures of heroism, memory and commemoration; critical heritage studies; and the history of political thought, this book explores the complex cultural work that radical heroes were made to perform.

Chartism, the British mass movement for democratic and social rights in the 1830s and 1840s, was profoundly shaped by the radical tradition from which it emerged. Yet, little attention has been paid to how Chartists saw themselves in relation to this diverse radical tradition or to the ways in which they invented their own tradition. Paine, Cobbett and other ‘founding fathers’, dead and alive, were used and in some cases abused by Chartists in their own attempts to invent a radical tradition. By drawing on new and exciting work in the fields of visual and material culture; cultures of heroism, memory and commemoration; critical heritage studies; and the history of political thought, this book explores the complex cultural work that radical heroes were made to perform.

Come aboard the tramp steamship Venture as crew for a journey into the surreal underworld ‎and onto the River Styx. Serenade for Cerberus is an epic romantic fantasy blending nautical ‎intrigue, romance, and a voyage into Hell and Hades, where conflict between the two decides ‎the fate of ship and crew. The Port of Martinez Junction is home and the start of our paranormal ‎adventure. Its commissioners have directed the Venture, famed for bringing back a subdued ‎giant ape, to carry out an even more audacious task: capture Cerberus, the mythical three-‎headed guardian of the gates of Hades. The crew begins their underworld mission with a shore ‎leave in Hell and find that a now feral Cerberus must be retrieved from the Hadean wilderness. ‎This expedition is undertaken despite the two devils managing Hell bent on making the Venture ‎a soul ferry, witches and imps wanting to seduce our humans, and the goddess of the River Styx ‎having her own agenda. A war between Hades and Hell involving our crew is the result. Can the ‎Venture defy all odds to return with Cerberus or will it succumb to the black river of hate, crew ‎lost forever in the Hades versus Hell war. Welcome to the underworld.