The Cloudy View of an Establishment Commentator

WHERE ARE THE POLITICAL NOVELS?

There was recently an interesting article at The Guardian (UK) site by Aditya Chakrabortty, here:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/apr/09/english-american-novels-gutless

As far as it goes, the essay is on target. The problem is that it doesn't go very far. Note that Chakrabortty limits the discussion to contemporary "literary" novels.

"Literary." They have to be "literary"! Which means, almost by definition, non-political, focused narrowly on "the perfect sentence" in contrast to the broader world. Chakrabortty looks for his political novels among the well-regulated established conglomerate-heavy literary system itself. He's not searching down in the muck of struggle and life for what he desires.

A quick check shows that Aditya Chakrabortty himself is an Oxford graduate. His essay thus comes across, for all its value, as standard university bubble whining. He's been force-fed "literary" novels by the system-- then realizes suddenly that none of them is meaningful or relevant. The authors were all selected from the privileged class, a tiny sliver of a slice of the populace. If any writers have no reason to be political it's these folks! After all, they're doing fine.

"Why aren't they political?" Aditya Chakrabortty muses from his high-up tops-down guarded Guardian perch in the clouds overlooking the world. "Where are the political novels?" A few stray Franzen-like literary birds pass by, daring the thin atmosphere. Cumulous formations float alongside. "Why can't I see any political novels?"
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Read THE TOWER by King Wenclas