Andrew Klavan on Conservatism in American Fiction

This is a speech Andrew Klavan gave on Conservatism in American Fiction at the Horowitz Freedom Center Retreat. It’s forty-minutes and well worth your time, especially to anyone thinking of diving into the world of fictional storytelling. The lessons here apply to filmmakers as much as novelists and while many topics are covered, the overall theme looks at the Big Picture ideas every storyteller can learn from:

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Klavan speaks at length about the importance of American ideas in great storytelling, the history of Western ideas and values in literature, the new blacklist, the brilliance of David Mamet as both a writer and thinker, the leftist marginalizing of Saul Bellow for political reasons, and the recent censoring of “Huckleberry Finn.”

Brilliant, fascinating, insightful stuff — especially the segments on “Finn,” how post-modern theory threatens intelligent storytelling, and how conservative voices are now being heard in the “great conversation” between Right and Left in the uniquely American search for truth.

FYI: In his email, Klavan told me he is now aware Angelina Jolie is not in the new “Atlas Shrugged” film, so no emails please. I assured him that after everyone hears his very last line about Oprah’s Book Club, all will be forgiven.

Klavan blogs here.