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Tag Archives: Hisham Matar
The Politics of Art: Writing the Arab Spring
Ever since I read the excellent Pereira Maintains in January, I’ve been meaning to write about it properly, but never quite got around to it. A novel by Italian writer Antonio Tabucchi set in 1930s Lisbon, it is told from the point of view of a middle-aged literary newspaper editor who becomes a reluctant witness to the violence and repression of Salazar’s brand of fascism and dictatorship. The story is sparse and simply told; stripped down to basics so much it reads almost like a fable, which Tabucchi uses to pose some powerful questions. What is the point of the printed word in a dictatorship, when newspapers aren’t allowed to inform people as to what is going on? And what is the role of literature, of art in a society such as this? When I went to the Artists in the World panel discussion as part of the Dublin Writers’ Festival a few weeks ago, I was reminded of the stark narrative of Pereira Maintains. Continue reading
Posted in Books, In the news, Politics
Tagged Antonio Tabucchi, Arab Spring, artists, Fadia Faqir, Fiach MacConghail, Hisham Matar, In the Country of Men, Pereira maintains, Politics, Rita Duffy, Writing
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