Godina izdanja: Ostalo
ISBN: Ostalo
Jezik: Engleski
Autor: Strani

duškr3)IMA POSVETA.
Review:
The bulk of Granta 77: What We Think of America is devoted to exploring the effect of American culture, politics, and economics on 24 writers in light of the horrific events of 9/11. As editor Ian Jack states in his introduction, the pieces here `are not about that day, nor are they excuses for it,` but an attempt to understand why, after the initial outpouring of sympathy, a mood of anti-Americanism seemed to take hold. The most vocal critics of the period argued that America`s policies had, effectively, `caused` the attacks; strains of `they had it coming to them` were also heard across the globe.

With the exception of Harold Pinter who describes the United States as a `fully-fledged, award-winning, gold-plated monster,` the majority of contributors offer only fairly measured critiques of American foreign policy. Ahdaf Soueif and Raja Shehadeh condemn its failure to address the issue of a Palestinian state. While Ramachandra Guha maintains that it is the curious coexistence of contradictory values--democratic and yet instinctively imperialist--that tends to make America `not a pretty sight` on the world`s stage. John Gray argues that America is just `too rich in contradictions for any definition of it to be possible`; in his opinion it is actually `unknowable.` Doris Lessing makes a similar point. In her view, all talk of `America as if it were a homogenous unity isn`t useful.` But she does go on to hazard a few rather pertinent `generalizations` of her own. Taken individually some of the essays are quite insubstantial, but, without wishing to be banal, it is astonishing how thought-provoking they are as whole. Ranging from the intimate and autobiographical to the polemical, they provide an intriguing assessment of the world`s remaining superpower. With an excerpt from J.M. Coetzee`s novel Youth and pieces from Blake Morrison and Ziauddin Sardar, this issue is an absorbing read. --Travis Elborough, Amazon.co.uk