Blankets

[davemarc]

Whoah.  What a "debate."

As an onlooker (what a relief to be an onlooker in this case!), I note that
there are some parallels between the Buffy Sainte-Marie and Steven
Spielberg issues.  I think that, in both cases, it's safe to say that
neither Sainte-Marie nor Spielberg claimed to be presenting history as
history as much as offering up commercial artworks that attempt to capture
the ugly truths of historical genocide.  The movie Schindler's List is
based on a work of fiction based on "oral history."   The Sainte-Marie song
is, perhaps, another expression of "oral history."  

So...what about the great P's literature?  Why does P blend fact and fancy?
 Why has he chosen to express himself through fiction much more than he's
chosen to express himself through non-fiction?  The very very simple answer
may be that he believes in the magic of storytelling to whet curiosity. 
Does the fancy negate the fact?  I don't think it does in any of these
cases.

Speaking of which, there's that Black Hole of Calcutta massacre.  Did it
happen or didn't it?  Was it an actual anti-foreigner outrage or a hoax
meant to stir up outrage at the Indians (the "real" ones)?  Apparently it's
one of those unsolved mysteries.  How does it go?  There were 23 survivors?

davemarc "23"