THE POSITIVE MESSAGE OF NEW AMERICAN ART AND LITERATURE

Friday, April 24, 2009

Looking Ahead

PEN doesn't represent most writers. It doesn't represent most of its OWN writers, who are window dressing for its actions. Who, then, does PEN represent?

As far as I can tell, it represents the multi-national book companies.
*******************************
PEN American Center is an example of the NYC-based literary whole. Most undergrounders know this system doesn't represent them. The question is whether most writers of all kinds, including thousands of MFA-degreed wannabes, yet realize this.

New York-based outfits like PEN (and journals like N+1) are moving away from the concept of American literature, and by extension, American writers-- which is why it's imperative to construct new alternatives untied to the literary monopolists.

2 comments:

Toast said...

Oh, I see. So you're a cultural nationalist? Along with your desire for handouts, you might even sound like a socialist nationalist -- or a national socialist. That would certainly explain all the demagoguery and your admiration for tyrannical autocrats.

Karl Wenclas said...

This is nonsense, "Toast." You're reaching. Is this the best you can do?
Watch for my upcoming post ABOUT culture-- some thoughts which were kicked off by a discussion I had with some N+1 people at a Philly book festival a little over a week ago. I had asked them if their mag presented American literature (a concept I believe in). The fellow said they presented "international culture." (??? The phrase is a contradiction, if you understand what culture is. The only "international culture" by definition is a tops-down freakish monopolistic thing, a la Disney and McDonald's.)