Marx bicentenary to be marked by exhibitions, books – and pub crawls

Renewed interest in philosopher fires celebrations of 200 years since his birth on 5 May 1818

A spectre is haunting Europe in 2018 - to borrow from one of his catchier one-liners - the spectre of Karl Marx himself.

Two hundred years after the philosopher's birth, a small industry is gathering pace, from plans for major events in Trier, the city on the Moselle where he was born, to a new tour of the Manchester streets that he and Friedrich Engels walked as they discussed the condition of the city's emerging working class. The bicentenary on 5 May will be marked with exhibitions, lectures, conferences, histories and novels.