Literature has the power to change lives, whether on a personal level, in relationships or in politics. It is something that many people turn to in times of turmoil, such as now in a post-Trump and post-Brexit world; we look to our favourite writers to help us make sense of the world around us.
Across genres, writing has been used as a political tool and works such as Dickens’ Great Expectations and Wilfred Owen’s Anthem for Doomed Youth have become infamous for making explicit political statements. Conversely, other writers and artists such as Billy Joel have purposely avoided discussing their politics in public.
In this stellar panel, writers Christopher de Bellaigue, Mona Eltahawy and Damian Flanagan discuss how a writer might negotiate their political views within their career and whether their writing can ever and should ever be removed from the world of politics.