Sunday, September 03, 2006

Six top satires on despotism

Peter Millar, who reviews thrillers for the Times (London), named six favorite satires on despotism.

Here is half of his list:
The Comedians by Graham Greene
Underrated satire on Papa Doc’s Haiti. Avoid the Paul Theroux “spoiler” introduction.

The Tin Drum by Günter Grass
A child’s response to growing Nazi brutality is to stop growing. Not diminished by recent revelations about Grass’s past.

Consider Phlebas by Iain M. Banks
Galactic war between materialist culture and fanatically religious three-legged Idirans — a poignant take on the “clash of cultures.”
Click here to see Millar's other three choices. (I'll bet you'll have guessed one or two but perhaps not all three.)

--Marshal Zeringue