One of the key ideas I’ve wanted to realize is the creation of a distributed space—a space where David’s texts are not only accessible, but also open to commentary and interconnected with other writings and resources, becoming part of an ongoing public dialogue.

This idea comes directly from the way David worked. His writings often began as small tweets—part of a conversation, a scandal, or a quick comment exchange, sometimes with complete strangers. That’s actually how I met David: I emailed him after seeing him on the Charlie Rose show, and he replied immediately. We met the next day, and it felt like we had known each other for many years.

He told me about his mother; we talked about my project, Open-Source Foods, and spirulina. Later, when I read The Utopia of Rules, I found a reference to a Soviet spirulina experiment—a clear trace of our conversation.

After those initial tweets, David would often write a piece for a popular media outlet—a more developed reflection on something that had emerged from the online discussions or conversations with friends. Only later would he turn those ideas into a book.

David had a seemingly endless number of direct, open connections with people. It was part of his daily practice. I miss that stream of dialogues—it was how we made sense of what was happening around us. It was horizontal, open, very much alive—and, at the same time, clear.

I hope to reverse that process: publishing his books in a way that lets them become frameworks for living, extended dialogues, and—just as importantly—ripple back into social media and public debate. And to make that happen, we really need your help.

That’s why we want to embed his texts into a MediaWiki. Not just a standard wiki, but MediaWiki—because it allows us to include much more than text: videos, interviews, drawings, photographs, and more.

We’re starting with the Madagascar book, because it was the book he valued most. It brings together many of the ideas he developed throughout his life. And in terms of form, it’s very close to me—it’s a polyphonic novel, rewritten in the spirit of Dostoevsky via Bakhtin. Those were the two books David took with him to Madagascar: Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov and Bakhtin’s Rabelais and His World.

Parts from all chapters of Magic and Slavery in Madagascar are already available, and we’re gradually adding links, notes, and commentary.

At first, the wiki will be invitation-only. We’re sharing the first invitations with friends and volunteers—people to whom we’re endlessly grateful for all the support, thought, and care they’ve already given and continue to give.

If you’d like to participate in this work, please write us at research[at]davidgraeber.org