A writer whose work you admire A LOT turns out to be a disgusting pervert. Do you stop reading their work? Do you hold your nose with one hand as you turn the pages with the other? Do you refuse to be on a panel with them?
Boy do I wish this was a hypothetical thought experiment and not a real-life scenario.
The question of how to separate the art from the artists is a long-standing one. In recent years a small handful of writers I've known casually, and been friendly with over the years, have been exposed as unsavory characters. One from some vile things he said, another for truly the worst thing someone is capable of.
It was easy for me to back away and distance myself from these people since I wasn't terribly close to them and it was easy to claim ignorance to their actions. But when it's happened over the years that someone has shown behavior that isn't criminal, but doesn't align with my own values, then I have little trouble putting space between me and the offender. Whether I like their books or not.
Shelf space is at a premium in my office and it's always a struggle to find space for new additions. When the revelations about Cormac McCarthy's history came to light I welcomed the chance to remove my copies of No Country For Old Men and Blood Meridian and make way for books whose authors aren't misogynists.
When an author I'd given a hand up as they started publishing began making comments and starting arguments with other authors at conferences, my support for that author immediately stopped. If I'm in a position to give a writer a platform, then I'm in a position to deny the spread of someone's hate speech too.
There are so many books in the world, more than you or I could ever possibly read, that there's no reason to keep a troublesome author on my shelf.
Same goes for films and music. There are actors and directors I've enjoyed, but their behavior has made them unwatchable for me. The association with their off-camera persona taints the work. For some it's criminal behavior, for others political views.
There are some who are a product of their time. Some who are troubled individuals who seem like folks I would never want to hang out with, but it doesn't spoil the work for me. But someone who engages in hate speech, who disrespects women, who does something truly vile and illegal, those people and their books go directly in the trash.
3 comments:
Nice post, Eric. Well said.
The freeing up of the shelf space never gets enough old!
I didn't know about Cormac. Will google. What a shame, I like his books. I hope I don't ever get in a fight with someone at a literary event - then you'll have to drop me as a friend! Fingers crossed this doesn't happen!
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