Six books you didn't know were propaganda : Shared by Fouad Kronfol

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Six books you didn't know were propaganda

The Economist

November 3, 2023

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Summary

The article examines six notable literary works that served as propaganda, though their authors were writers of genuine merit. 

During the Cold War, Western intelligence agencies subsidized authors and established literary magazines to counter censorship and promote Western aims. The featured books include Rudyard Kipling's "The Eyes of Asia," which British intelligence commissioned during World War I by having Kipling rewrite Indian soldiers' letters to remove pro-Indian sentiment. The CIA promoted Boris Pasternak's "Doctor Zhivago" by distributing Russian copies to undermine Soviet censorship. Peter Matthiessen's "Partisans" served as cover for his CIA work while displaying detailed knowledge of communist operations. Azar Nafisi's "Reading Lolita in Tehran" received support from the Smith Richardson Foundation, which advances American interests abroad. The CIA-financed magazine Mundo Nuevo published excerpts from Gabriel García Márquez's "One Hundred Years of Solitude" despite his communist ties. John Steinbeck's "The Moon Is Down" was written to inspire European resistance against Nazi occupation and was smuggled into occupied countries.

Quotes

"All art is propaganda, but not all propaganda is art."

"We are like goats tied to a butcher's stake."

"Doctor Zhivago had great propaganda value."

"It is only through literature that one can put oneself in someone else's shoes."

Books Referenced:

1. The Eyes of Asia by Rudyard Kipling
2. Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak
3. Partisans by Peter Matthiessen
4. Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books by Azar Nafisi
5. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez
6. The Moon Is Down by John Steinbeck