“When it comes to the arena in which novelists can have the most impact – their art – this generation (with the notable exception of Gary Shteyngart and his Absurdistan) has been rather silent about the Bush years. What a difference 100 years makes. In one century, it’s a novelist calling a president to account; in the next, Americans have to turn to a former sportscaster to get a spoonful of hard wisdom. Granted, the US will never have the respect France has for its intellectuals. But it’s not as if American novelists have steered clear of the op-ed pages.”