You can't read and cross the Street at the same time

I've goofed again and begun another one of my infamous mult-part postings but this time Part 1 is over on the American Street.

This one's on politics and novels.  I'm writing it as a response to Christopher Lehmann's essay in the Washington Monthly, "Why Americans Can't Write Political Fiction."

My bold reply to Lehmann is, "You're right, they can't, except when they do, but they don't do it often, and here's why, maybe."

I posted Part 1, "The Novel Writing Class," yesterday.  Part 2, "The a-political novel," will be up late Tuesday afternoon.  If you want to stop by the Steet and drop off some examples of good political novels, please do.   But you should also read Lehmann's essay first.

Comments

[Linkmeister]

Well, at least the two books I suggested over at The Street weren't bashed unmercifully by Lehman.

Read the bio blurb at the bottom of that essay, folks. There's a heckuva surprise (to me, anyway) contained within.

[burritoboy]

Americans can't write great political novels because they simply don't understand politics in anthing approaching a serious way.

[KathyF]

Okay, I just skimmed the essay. Looking for my name, didn't see it. But I posted a reply over at the Street anyway. Maybe tomorrow I'll read the essay, though I was planning to study for my Novel Writing Class.