Victor Grayson: In Search of Britain's Lost Revolutionary

The disappearance of Victor Grayson, a radical Labour politician who was idolized by many but despised by the establishment, is still a mystery. New documents have revealed the real Victor Grayson, including unpublished autobiography fragments, letters to lovers, and testimonies from Labour elite members. Research suggests that he was blackmailed by his former Party due to his homosexuality and socialism, which made him a target for those wanting to stamp out dissent. This biography reinstates Grayson to history as a man who laid the foundations for a generation of militant socialists in Britain.

Format: Hardback
Length: 288 pages
Publication date: 20 August 2021
Publisher: Pluto Press

Steeped in conspiracy, scandal and socialism – the disappearance of radical icon Victor Grayson is a puzzle that’s never been solved. A firebrand and Labour politician who rose to prominence in the early twentieth century, Grayson was idolised by hundreds of thousands of Britons but despised by the establishment. After a tumultuous life, he walked out of his London apartment in September 1920 and was never seen again.

After a century, new documents have come to light. Fragments of an unpublished autobiography, letters to his lovers (both men and women), leading political and literary figures including H.G. Wells and George Bernard Shaw, and testimonies from members of the Labour elite such as Clement Attlee have revealed the real Victor Grayson.  New research has uncovered the true events leading up to his disappearance and suggests that he was actually blackmailed by his former Party.

In a time when homosexuality was illegal, and socialism an international threat to capitalism, Grayson was a clear target for those wanting to stamp out dissent. This extraordinary biography reinstates to history a man who laid the foundations for a whole generation of militant socialists in Britain.

Weight: 506g
Dimension: 160 x 239 x 36 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780745343983