Blitcon
Encyclopedia
Blitcon is a collective portmanteau term invented to describe the political tendencies of Britain's three most prominent novelists (British literary neoconservatives). It was coined by the Muslim writer Ziauddin Sardar
in December 2006.
Writing in the British left-leaning political weekly the New Statesman
, Sardar charged that Martin Amis
, Salman Rushdie and Ian McEwan
"dominate British literature
- and they're convinced that Islam
threatens civilisation as we know it". While the triumvirate's generational sway over the commanding heights of British literary affairs is largely undisputed, the novelists' approaches to and descriptions of Islamism
could be seen as more nuanced than Sardar's contentious article gave them credit. Amis has been especially careful to distinguish between Islam and radical Islamism
, stating that:
Amis, Rushdie and McEwan were also included in the original 1983 Granta
"Best of Young British Novelists" list. Amis also served as the literary editor of the New Statesman, where he worked alongside longtime friend Christopher Hitchens
, whose energetic support for the Iraq war and other interventionist foreign policy causes him to be categorized as a neo-con on occasion.
Ziauddin Sardar
Ziauddin Sardar is a London-based scholar, writer and cultural-critic who specialises in Muslim thought, the future of Islam, futures studies and science and cultural relations...
in December 2006.
Writing in the British left-leaning political weekly the New Statesman
New Statesman
New Statesman is a British centre-left political and cultural magazine published weekly in London. Founded in 1913, and connected with leading members of the Fabian Society, the magazine reached a circulation peak in the late 1960s....
, Sardar charged that Martin Amis
Martin Amis
Martin Louis Amis is a British novelist, the author of many novels including Money and London Fields . He is currently Professor of Creative Writing at the Centre for New Writing at the University of Manchester, but will step down at the end of the 2010/11 academic year...
, Salman Rushdie and Ian McEwan
Ian McEwan
Ian Russell McEwan CBE, FRSA, FRSL is a British novelist and screenwriter, and one of Britain's most highly regarded writers. In 2008, The Times named him among their list of "The 50 greatest British writers since 1945"....
"dominate British literature
British literature
British Literature refers to literature associated with the United Kingdom, Isle of Man and Channel Islands. By far the largest part of British literature is written in the English language, but there are bodies of written works in Latin, Welsh, Scottish Gaelic, Scots, Cornish, Manx, Jèrriais,...
- and they're convinced that Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
threatens civilisation as we know it". While the triumvirate's generational sway over the commanding heights of British literary affairs is largely undisputed, the novelists' approaches to and descriptions of Islamism
Islamism
Islamism also , lit., "Political Islam" is set of ideologies holding that Islam is not only a religion but also a political system. Islamism is a controversial term, and definitions of it sometimes vary...
could be seen as more nuanced than Sardar's contentious article gave them credit. Amis has been especially careful to distinguish between Islam and radical Islamism
Islamism
Islamism also , lit., "Political Islam" is set of ideologies holding that Islam is not only a religion but also a political system. Islamism is a controversial term, and definitions of it sometimes vary...
, stating that:
Amis, Rushdie and McEwan were also included in the original 1983 Granta
Granta
Granta is a literary magazine and publisher in the United Kingdom whose mission centers on its "belief in the power and urgency of the story, both in fiction and non-fiction, and the story’s supreme ability to describe, illuminate and make real." In 2007, The Observer stated, "In its blend of...
"Best of Young British Novelists" list. Amis also served as the literary editor of the New Statesman, where he worked alongside longtime friend Christopher Hitchens
Christopher Hitchens
Christopher Eric Hitchens is an Anglo-American author and journalist whose books, essays, and journalistic career span more than four decades. He has been a columnist and literary critic at The Atlantic, Vanity Fair, Slate, World Affairs, The Nation, Free Inquiry, and became a media fellow at the...
, whose energetic support for the Iraq war and other interventionist foreign policy causes him to be categorized as a neo-con on occasion.
External links
- http://www.newstatesman.com/print/200612110045 'Welcome to Planet Blitcon', Ziauddin Sardar, New Statesman, 11 December 2006
- http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/robert_mccrum/2006/12/post_764.html 'Planet Blitcon? It doesn't exist', Robert McCrum, Comment is freeGuardian.co.ukguardian.co.uk, formerly known as Guardian Unlimited, is a British website owned by the Guardian Media Group. Georgina Henry is the editor...
, 7 December 2006