tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4938060587020568315.post7276115352972649262..comments2023-12-14T10:28:43.397+00:00Comments on Declan Burke: The Irish Novel: Whither Protest?Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4938060587020568315.post-29538822777497044782011-11-22T08:48:47.360+00:002011-11-22T08:48:47.360+00:00Declan,
You are 100% correct that many writers av...Declan,<br /><br />You are 100% correct that many writers avoid the present in search of literary frolics in the land of their youth.<br /><br />If you get a chance to read The Istanbul Puzzle you will see that it starts with a riot, includes a conspiracy to take us further down by those of a fascist tendency and addresses issues of Islam and the blame game in a European context. I am still surprise it's getting published!<br /><br />The game is afoot all over Europe, and in the world too, and I hope to focus on some underlying issues in the rest of the series.Laurencehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02741987831863130975noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4938060587020568315.post-22613518435951143052011-11-21T19:50:53.627+00:002011-11-21T19:50:53.627+00:00I'll celebrate Big Jim with you in 2013 Dec ;-...I'll celebrate Big Jim with you in 2013 Dec ;-)<br /><br />Buy that man a pint!T.S. O'Rourkehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11824278499666614813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4938060587020568315.post-7969808017032050742011-11-21T16:23:43.990+00:002011-11-21T16:23:43.990+00:00I'm sorry to hear that about Greenleaf, Richar...I'm sorry to hear that about Greenleaf, Richard, because I read a couple of his books and really enjoyed them, without even noticing a political stance.seana grahamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03774794086733027289noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4938060587020568315.post-65689130933837325502011-11-21T15:19:57.435+00:002011-11-21T15:19:57.435+00:00Re: Edit
I said that wrong. Should have edited m...Re: Edit<br /><br />I said that wrong. Should have edited my comment better.<br /><br />Re: politics<br /><br />As Norman Solomon says, "Class warfare is roundly condemned by many a politician who actually supports it as long as it is being waged from the top down."<br /><br />For the last Friday's Forgotten Book on my blog, I posted about Stephen Greenleaf, an ex-lawyer turned novelist, whose intelligent leftist protagonist is one of my all-time favorites.<br /><br />Not finding commercial success after several critically acclaimed novels, Greenleaf gave up writing and went back to being a lawyer. Perhaps his lack of commercial appeal was in part due to the leftist leanings of his books. This was during the bubble 1990s.<br /><br />Taking a stand attracted loyal readers but a generic political tone might have made him successful. I'd say he did the right thing, but if he loathes other lawyers like his protagonist always did, he is back to making a living by swimming with the sharks.Richard L. Pangburnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10717563750065476750noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4938060587020568315.post-40549279469829113652011-11-21T04:48:20.799+00:002011-11-21T04:48:20.799+00:00Richard
But democracy in Ireland may only be the ...Richard<br /><br />But democracy in Ireland may only be the illusion of choice. Without going all Marcusian on you, in Northern Ireland there is no true left - right political axis and in the South we're still voting in Pro Treaty and Anti Treaty parties, ninety years after the Treaty was signed! A choice between white, cream and off white is no choice at all.adrian mckintyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03349942973907386269noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4938060587020568315.post-67632923294478986142011-11-21T04:46:08.186+00:002011-11-21T04:46:08.186+00:00Dec
I havent read Bloodland but I can confidently...Dec<br /><br />I havent read Bloodland but I can confidently say that AZC IS a novel that tackles the real world, our world with unflinching courage and clear sightedness. <br /><br />Kafka said that good art should hurt us wound us make us sit up and think. Too much of what we see around us dulls us into a stupor of complacency.adrian mckintyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03349942973907386269noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4938060587020568315.post-77822005303806793962011-11-20T17:27:44.172+00:002011-11-20T17:27:44.172+00:00John -
"Maybe they are."
You may well ...John -<br /><br />"Maybe they are."<br /><br />You may well be more right than I'm happy to admit. <br /><br />Cheers, DecDeclan Burkehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14322645323239292406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4938060587020568315.post-88048456444691503252011-11-20T17:27:11.883+00:002011-11-20T17:27:11.883+00:00Thanks for the feedback, Richard. As for editing a...Thanks for the feedback, Richard. As for editing a few words - do you mean the excerpt should be edited? If that's the case, then I'm not by any means standing over the excerpt as any kind of political manifesto, especially as it comes from Karlsson. The point I was trying to make is that, for good or ill, the novel connects with its culture and society, and the current condition of that society, and the anger and desperation that underpins it. <br /><br />Cheers, DecDeclan Burkehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14322645323239292406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4938060587020568315.post-16675872888432254612011-11-20T16:03:47.546+00:002011-11-20T16:03:47.546+00:00Excellent post.
Some of it may come down to this:...Excellent post.<br /><br />Some of it may come down to this:<br /><br />"Is it not the duty of the novelist to reflect the world he or she inhabits?" <br /><br />Maybe they are.John McFetridgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09442198820998606682noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4938060587020568315.post-7950000650243770862011-11-20T15:18:39.178+00:002011-11-20T15:18:39.178+00:00As much as I love the novel (and I love a good ran...As much as I love the novel (and I love a good rant almost anywhere, almost anytime), I would advise you to edit a few words of that in important places.<br /><br />I'd have to say that Democracy is NOT the problem. Oligarchy is the problem, rule by the rich.<br /><br />See Wikipedia here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oligarchy<br /><br />The United States was fairly democratic during the 1970s, when there was a balance between corporate and union power for nearly a decade. The rich then went about buying all politicians up both left and right and destroying the power of unions.<br /><br />Mission accomplished.<br /><br />Robert Michels believed that any political system eventually evolves into an oligarchy. He called this the "iron law of oligarchy."<br /><br />But still I believe in a constitutional democracy--Churchill was wrong about many things, but he was right when he said that all forms of government were bad, and democracy simply the best of a bad lot.<br /><br />What has been changed can be changed back, the pendulem can be swung back the other way.<br /><br />Journalists can pave the way, as soon as we can find enough of them with the courage and the know-how to do it. I don't look for things to change a great deal in my lifetime.<br /><br />But maybe things will get better.Richard L. Pangburnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10717563750065476750noreply@blogger.com