Karl Marx early Writings Author:Karl Marx Early Writings. Marx wrote the essays included here during 1843-1844, when he was twenty-five and formulating his theory of historical materialism. In this period, which came before he began to work with Frederich Engels, Marx rejected the influence of Feuerbach and Hegel. His reaction to these two seminal thinkers reveals the philosophical a... more »nd practical reasons for Marx's break with idealistic philosophy and the formation of his own system of thought.« less