Posted by
Daniel Crandall on Tuesday, November 06, 2007 11:25:36 PM
Clive Barker proves himself to be just another Left-wing writer, for whom politics is first and foremost in his mind.
At a book signing within a very nice independent book store,
Third Place Books, in Seattle, WA) for his latest novel,
Mister B. Gone, took less than 10 minutes to rhapsodize on what a utopia America could be if 1)come January 2009 'Hail to the Chief' was being played for Pres. Hillary or Pres. B. Hussein Obama, and 2)neither one of these two acted like the "rotten", "corrupt", "brutal" Bush administration.
The event was nothing but questions and answers. There was no reading or opening talk. "This is what he wants", the audience was told before Mr. Barker took the stage. The third question was actually a good one. A woman in front stood at the microphone and asked, I paraphrase, "In what medium, writing or painting, do you think represents your greatest area of growth?" After rightly praising the question, the audience, which no doubt mostly agreed with him (this is Seattle, after all), Barker monologued on how Republican men are ruining the West.
It would be my greatest joy to attend an author's book signing and not get an earful of his or her political views. When I go to see a fiction writer I want to know about their creative processes, about their craft, even, to some extent, to hear how their world-view impacts their art. I
do not want to know who they, and why they think so-and-so should be POTUS.
I went to the event because I read, in and interview he gave to
Rue Morgue magazine, that part of what informed the
Mister B. Gone's creation was Barker's absolute hatred of the Catholic Church, which he stated was the most evil, corrupt organization in the world. I wanted to see and hear for myself what kind of person develops such deep antipathy for the heart and soul of Western Civilization (if it wasn't for the Catholic Church, Mr. Barker would not have had any university at which to study philosophy).
I went. I saw. I left. The next time (if there is a next time) it will be very difficult to separate the fact that I'm reading such a bitter Leftist's work, while pouring through what might otherwise be a well written horror story.