Franzen, Pynchon, Politik

[Kai Frederik Lorentzen]

Everytime someone says something is "not political", this is - by 
defining the borders - one of
the most political utterances possible. Even more: Since the claim to be 
"not political" tries to hide
the given political agenda, it's one of the more dangerous forms. 
Example? Every second tea party
clown I see on the screen wears a "not political" badge. There you have 
your 'neutrality' ...

Pynchon who writes about wars, genocide, WMDs, slavery, secret services, 
police brutality usw
usf, is most certainly a political author. Much more political than Franzen.

And yes, I'd like to hear political things from Pynchon.  Not so much 
about the world in general.
I mean, you people have a nice saying: Opinions are like assholes. 
Everybody's got one. So what Pynchon thinks about, say, currency 
relations today is probably not too interesting. My interests
go more into the direction of responsible discursive interventions in 
relation to his art.

In his novels V and GR, Thomas Pynchon artistically exploited the sad 
history of the Hereros.
But these people are not dead and gone! Actually they make a claim for 
reparations against the
German government regarding the genocide of 1904. When Joschka 
"Arschloch" Fischer was first
confronted with it, he didn't say a single word and simply walked away. 
Up to now no German politician has ever said or done anything about it. 
So let me ask:

Why doesn't Pynchon use his cultural and social capital to really go for 
the Herero's fair claim?

(Don't tell me he's publicity-shy ... that was a long time ago. He made 
a book trailer, did three
episodes of The Simpsons and even - that was (when you think what he got 
back) funny - wrote
a defense letter for - of all people - Ian McEwan. So it's not that.)

KFL

On 26.10.2010 16:51, David Morris wrote:
> As long as they're heard in media apart from their art, there's no
> "should."  Artists have a right to political views, and the right to
> express them.  But when their art turns political, that's where they
> loses their edge.
>
> On Tue, Oct 26, 2010 at 9:40 AM, rich<richard.romeo at gmail.com>  wrote:
>    
>> agreed but shouldn't writers be read not heard
>>
>> who fucking cares what he thinks personally. that goes for Pynchon, as well. with that said writers wouldn't be all didactic up my ass either. nothing worse than being preached to
>>      
>
>