Amis dissects the modern order

Steven Augustine

Nice to know that Johann went into it without an agenda, which would have been revealed through disingenuous sanctimony, humorless tetchiness and literal-mindedly nitpicky swipes at any and all of Amis's PC liabilities (i.e., Kingsley). And I was most impressed at all those damningly cogent thoughts Johann had, even as Amis rambled ineffectually on about the purely imaginary problems of integrating a medievalist worldview into the social fabric of a liberal democracy in the 21st century. Well done!

iain morse

I looked at Amis's book and was struck by the absence of any mention of Israel and the Palestinians from it's index. Has Amis spoken to many Arabs?Or am I in an alternative reality?

Toby Young

It seems extraordinary to me that Johann believes that the alleged racism of anti-Islamists like Amis and Mark Steyn is a more urgent moral problem -- more deserving of condemnation by right-thinking liberals like him -- than the self-confessed racism, sexism and homophobia of the Islamists themselves. If anyone is guilt of "cognitive dissonance" it is surely him.

Frank Pulley

Joan Hari has the "intellectual fire power" of the wet feather of a dead duck. Such a shame that Scott Burgess from The Daily Ablution is not around to critique the interview. Where art thou, Scott? Must pop over to Steyn's patch and find out whether he caught the exchange.

Heywood Yerbloemie

Typical lazy hackery on Mr Steyn: dismiss him as a 'former disc jockey' and insinuate that therefore his views are beneath discussion. By that standard, Mr Hari is a 'former drama student'.

Fergus Pickering

Amis is a fine controversialist and good luck to him and I agree with what he says, but he is not a great novelist. His father was a great novelist. Martin's novels are 'rather thin' as his dad says somewhere.

newmania

Seems a bit all over the place to me, and fetid with bourgeois sanctimony on both sides .All that agonising about collective guilt for example , what else are you going to have when you are discussing collections of people .Collective invulnerability ? The interest is in figures form the arts like Morrisey and Amis nudging towards a rejection of Liberalism in that it regards rights emanating from mere membership of the human race .This must be a good thing because that misguided attitude is turning the country into a dump applauded only by those whose children will not be attending schools failing to cope with eight languages . Pretty soon the arts establishment will not be tediously an homogenously progressive and we just might escape from the old ladies armpit we are stuck in right now . If someone wrote a good right wing play it could be a turning point . PS is that Toby Young I see .......file under great mysteries of the age ...why Toby Young ..why Sam Leith.....why Bryony Gordon ? At least the last two we can see the efficient cause . TY troubles me and doubt is weak. Strike out the infection and have done with it.

Max Kaye

Johann Hari arrived at Amis's house and unpacked his preconceptions and prejudices like an over-eager traveling salesman.

Matthew, you do your literary hero no favours by saying that Hari is in any way a worthy intellectual adversary. (Oh - and he's right about the diet Coke, I'm afraid. Like Marlboro Lights it's a girly choice. Either go for the 'full fat' variety or drink an adult drink).

Frank Pulley

Pleased to see that on the The Corner St. Mark of Steyn has produced a worthy and concise riposte to his fey critics: http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=N2M4MDc2YTE3NzM4YWRkNDUwZTY0NTRiYTI0NTQ5MjA= As Melanie exclaims on her blog, "Way to go, Mark!" The delicate Hari, of course, goes the other way. C'mon Joan, give us a "Sigh!" (With all your 'intellectual fire power', please ). What a pair of waffling prats!

Frank Pulley

Sorry - amend above to "Way to go Martin!"