Considered one of the brightest thinkers in fin-de-siècle Europe,
Landauer believed in a form of communitarian anarchism of the head and
heart, of thought and action. His desire to "turn your dreams of beauty
into a desire for realization" were important ideas before World War
One. The 1893 novel "Der Todesprediger" (Preacher of Death) is an
introduction to Landauer's ideas. In the book, he describes the
transformation of a Karl Starkblom, shadowing Landauer's own experiences
first as a socialist and later as an advocate of social-anarchism. His
later work "Skepticism and Mysticism" appeared in 1903 and together the
two works, along with Landauer's role in the failed Munich Revolution
1918-1919, give a clear foundation for Landauer's brand of
socialist-anarchism and the importance of community in launching bottom
up change.