TONY LEON: Books shed light on democratic backslidings replacing dictatorships
Literary bestseller lists likely often reflect the opposite of mass sentiment
Just as yields on bonds rise as prices fall, it is likely that literary bestseller lists often reflect the opposite of mass sentiment. That’s hardly surprising since the disparaged elite, or “globalists” as Donald Trump branded opponents of his protectionist nationalism, tend to buy books but are hardly reflective of popular opinion. Indeed, shortly after the shock — to the elite at least — of Trump’s presidential win in November 2016, a half-forgotten 1935 semisatirical novel by Sinclair Lewis made a surprising reappearance on US bestseller lists. It Can’t Happen Here, originally published at the time of the rise of fascism in Europe, traces the story of US politician Buzz Windrip. He is elected US president on a wave of fear-mongering and immediately implements a programme of authoritarian repression. Little subtlety required to work out the fears that Trump’s election suggested to a swathe of readers. Quite what the current SA non-fiction bestseller tells us about elite thinking ...
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