10 October 2008

A timely reminder

Unreal Nature is currently mining the rich seam of Lustrum Press output, and has pulled a one contact sheet story by Jean-Philippe Charbonnier.

I have particular reasons to be fond of Charbonnier ... but that was in another country, etc, and of no interest here. What is of interest is a story told and lesson drawn which breathe the humanity of both Charbonnier and Heyward. The world is better for both of them – and Heyward's observation that the spirit of the firing squad and vengeful mob are always and everywhere with us is particularly important in these “War on Terror” times.

Firing squads are, as she says, rare (for those of us who live in the liberal democracies, at least) but the essence of them, sadly, is not.

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