A fascinating article in the NYRB.
As always, an emphasis on the stress faced by up to 20% of servicemen and women ( Iraq and Afghanistan). Not to dismiss that but what about the " stress" caused to the millions who were either killed, msimed, displaced, or related to those wo were murdered?
What do we learn? That Fair's Arabic skills rather suddenly ( and suspiciously) have " atrophied". That he was in it for the money. That he enjoyed the power he had during interrogation. That he had a problem with drink, a crisis of faith ( God was on the side of the prisoners, not the jailers, or so scripture informed him).
And we're supposed to be sympathetic to that portrayal? Supposed to see him, I guess, as just another flawed individual in an impossible situation?
As with ' Yellow Birds" there's something very dubious about this kind of " literature".
~~~~~~
In the absence of the centre.
Alexievich's new book does look very good. Trying to look at the soul of the Red Man. I wonder what a similar book on the American soul would look like.
As always, an emphasis on the stress faced by up to 20% of servicemen and women ( Iraq and Afghanistan). Not to dismiss that but what about the " stress" caused to the millions who were either killed, msimed, displaced, or related to those wo were murdered?
What do we learn? That Fair's Arabic skills rather suddenly ( and suspiciously) have " atrophied". That he was in it for the money. That he enjoyed the power he had during interrogation. That he had a problem with drink, a crisis of faith ( God was on the side of the prisoners, not the jailers, or so scripture informed him).
And we're supposed to be sympathetic to that portrayal? Supposed to see him, I guess, as just another flawed individual in an impossible situation?
As with ' Yellow Birds" there's something very dubious about this kind of " literature".
~~~~~~
In the absence of the centre.
Alexievich's new book does look very good. Trying to look at the soul of the Red Man. I wonder what a similar book on the American soul would look like.
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