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April 04, 2006
If the novel is dead, why am I spending so much money at Olsson's?
A friend at work forwarded me an interesting article. Apparently a bunch of authors -- including Dave Eggers, Jane Smiley, and Rick Moody -- are founding their own political action committee called LitPAC. They're going to endorse and donate to liberal congressional candidates, presumably in a take-back-the-House fashion.
I can't argue with the good sense of getting involved in politcs, but I think it says something that these authors see their role in the political life of our country as money-raising celebrities. While I don't really want the author of The Ice Storm setting our domestic policy agenda for the next four years [Ed. - Eww.] it seems to me that authors should be able to play a roll in the national conversation that's more valuable than a drop-in-the-bucket financial contribution.
During the Clinton administration, Tony Kushner was invited to the White House and consulted on the State of the Union address. I'm not saying that the Clinton years were the golden age of American letters, or even that a book since Uncle Tom's Cabin has changed the focus of the nation, but despite the tyranny of the soundbyte in the present moment, I still think a good author can inform us in a powerful and meaningful way.
It's sad to be so distinctly in the minority.
Posted by Drew at April 4, 2006 09:56 PM
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