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French Literary Snobbery to the Rescue
The choice here is to go berserk with fury or laugh, and fortunately, France–vive la France!–has made it possible for me to do the latter. You may have heard that 145 members of our Anglophone literary establishment covered themselves in glory by signing a letter in protest of PEN’s award to Charlie Hebdo. Peter Carey criticised “PEN’s seeming blindness to the cultural arrogance of the French nation, which does not recognize its moral obligation to a large and disempowered segment of their population.” If you haven’t heard, and if you’re otherwise having an acceptable day, don’t click on that link–I can’t understate the degree to which it will ruin it.
Beyond demonstrating an absolutely awesome and preternatural cravenness, the authors displayed what you’d think would be an even more deadly crime in fashionable literary circles: an inability to read what’s fashionable in fashionable literary circles. (They also demonstrated an inability to write–the letter is almost incomprehensible–but I suppose that’s not generally considered an impediment to success in fashionable literary circles.)
Clearly, they’d never read a single issue of Charlie Hebdo. And by this point, they certainly can’t plead that it was impossible. It’s been translated now a million times, with a billion commentaries. So basically, they were just too lazy even to read a Wikipedia entry about the damned magazine.
As you can imagine, France is disgusted. Because the alternative is vomiting, I’ll translate the comments published under various reports in the French press. For once, you will fully enjoy a sample of full-on French literary snobbery and contempt for the primitive culture of les Anglos; and alas, it is precisely what these contemptible fashionable cowards deserve. Sadly, since they don’t read French–or anything, apparently–they will probably never know how idiotic they made themselves look.
Il y aurait 145 “écrivains” aux USA? Ils n’ont pas peur du ridicule, les gars …
(There would be 145 “writers” in the USA? They’ve no fear of ridicule, these kids …)
Splendide liste de personnes qui sont plus des écrivassiers que des écrivains. Je me demande ce qu’en auraient pensé Norman Mailer, Henry Miller et John Steinbeck.
(Splendid list of scribblers, not writers. I wonder what Norman Mailer, Henry Miller and John Steinbeck would have said.)
—-Et William Styron … Je l’adore.
—-(And William Styron … I love him.)
——-Bien sûr, mais je ne pouvais pas citer tout le monde. Que James Ellroy veuille bien me pardonner également …
——-(Sure, but I couldn’t include everyone. James Ellroy will forgive me, too … )
Bon, et bien voilà qui va simplifier ma découverte de la littérature américaine… 145 auteurs que je n’ai guère envie de connaitre …
(Well, that will simplify my discovery of American literature … 145 authors that I’ll never have a desire to know …. )
Comment pouvez-vous émettre un jugement sur Charlie si vous ne pouvez pas le lire? Ça suffit de regarder les images? On n’avait pas pris l’habitude d’hésiter avant de faire quelque chose d’aussi sereinement stupide avant?
(How can you make a judgment about Charlie if you can’t read? You think it’s enough to look at the pictures? Don’t they hesitate before doing something so serenely stupid?”)
Unfortunately, a lot of the sentiment is less generous. And so is mine.
Published in General
Artists and writers love to think of themselves as transgression, edgy and provocative. They congratulate themselves with award here and there. But when push comes to shove, they’re just a bunch of cowards.
I think “Siddhartha Deb” says all you need to know about her.
I notice Joyce Carol Oates is on the list, but no one’s thought her serious since, well, forever.
Yeah, he’s got the stanza: Don Juan XI.60
John Keats, who was killed off by one critique,
just as he really promised something great,
if not intelligible, – without Greek
contrived to talk about the Gods of late,
much as they might have been supposed to speak.
Poor fellow! His was an untoward fate: –‘
’tis strange the mind, that very fiery particle,
should let itself be snuffed out by an Article.
Cultural arrogance > arrogant cultishness
If you critize Charlie Hebdo you will be punished. Lol. There is no free speech in mass hysteria, on the left or right no difference.
As for the award–that magazine is rather insane–but it has hit repeatedly this nerve that needs hitting. Willingly or unwittingly, they are serving the cause of liberal democracy. They do to liberals what liberals do to anyone else except Muslims-
Nick Cohen in the Spectator also denounces PEN’s critics. It is very much worth your time:
Charlie Hebdo: The literary indulgence of murder
I agree that his choice of epithets was an insult to … female anatomy. And cats. Neither deserves to be compared to the pusillanimous “authors” who complained about the PEN award.
You don’t have to understand French to understand the tone: He’s the head of SOS Racisme: (“Honestly, now we’re entering a kind of stupidity, or intellectual dishonesty, that’s absolutely incredible. Charlie Hebdo was is biggest anti-racist weekly in this country …. You can’t say, ‘Oh yes, but’–no ‘but,'” frankly, that’s enough. These guys who say Charlie Hebdo was racist, frankly, it’s scandalous, it’s an insult to the memory of the people we lost, and that’s enough. Stop insulting the dead and the living, some of whom I knew personally. Because when you start insulting and launching an angry mob against journalists, voilà, that’s that’s what it does. So that’s enough. Everyone must take responsibility.”)
PEN have told the 145 to get lost. The award ceremony is going ahead as planned. Rather than your scorn, PEN deserve your respect.
I don’t know who’s worse here: the disgusting trolls at Charlie Hebdo… and that’s what they are… or the non-French liberals that are only mad at them because Hebdo is attacking targets they don’t approve of.