28 October 2007

Doris Lessing - another talking head with a Nobel?

I was keeping mum on the subject for two good reasons. One - I stopped at page 16 in one of her books, and thus cannot be an objective judge. Two - George S. here and in the previous post that cannot be linked to (from October 11) does a good job of advocacy for her - not solely as a writer (apparently he had a similar problem with her books), but as a person.

Here I have to come up with an observation of a (possibly) too general character. But what the heck: is it only my skewed perception or, indeed, too many a person becoming a Nobel winner feels that her/his opinions on any subject must be aired as soon as possible? Including opinions that are, frankly, puerile to a degree that will earn an elementary school student a deserved tongue lashing.

I could even agree with what George says re Lessing's opinion on 911:

As for the 9/11 quotation featured in most newspapers, if I took a dislike to everyone I disagreed with on this or that point, I would have precious little communication with the world.
With a reservation: she could have skipped the question - it wasn't a third degree, was it...

No, what got my knickers all twisted was this remark about Americans no one got het up about:
They're a very naive people, or they pretend to be.
Any generalization about any people makes me mad. Coming from a professional soul catcher, it is really inexcusable.

And being a woman, Ms Lessing is less sensitive to blows below the belt, so: a person who kept her communist beliefs well into the fifties (of the last century) is hardly entitled to talk about someone, let alone a whole nation, being naive.

I agree with George that female octogenarians (in control of their mental facilities) could be lovable.

I am in doubt about this one.

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