Journalism-literature connection survives technology

Karachi
Technology has changed the game; it has changed the way we write, but the connection between literature and journalism is every bit there.
These views were expressed by Christopher Merrill, professor of English at The University of Iowa and director of the university’s International Writing Programme, while talking to The News on Wednesday.
Merrill said that since the 19th century, issues far more important than values had come to exist, which changed our portrayal of literary affairs, but the importance of literature was every bit there.
In this context, he cited the case of Iowa City, which, he said, had been designated the Unesco City of Literature.
He agreed with The News that with the world and all affairs having assumed a corporate character, both journalism and literature had undergone changes, and journalism had become a corporate-orientated pursuit rather than an intellectual one. He said it was the same with literature.
He also agreed that many publishers of literary works had adopted a corporate outlook. However, he said: “There have been reprints and translations on a large scale, which have kept the literary tradition and style alive.”
In this case, he quoted the example of Octavio Paz, who had written a detailed account of the Germany of 1922.
Merrill said that while the present generation of Germans was not too familiar with that era, at least not in minute detail, there were organisations that had published hundreds of copies of the book, not only keeping history alive but acquainting the young generation of the literary trend of an era gone by.
“While surely even literature has been greatly influenced by corporatism, there are lots of organisations worldwide which are keeping the literary tradition alive.”
He quoted the axiom “If it bleeds, it leads”, which means that when there’s news of violence, it makes news.
Elaborating on the donning of a corporate character by the media worldwide, which has resulted from global onslaught of capitalism, he said: “There will have to be an attempt to balance the world of values, the essence of literature and the corporate realities.”
Talking about his forays into the world of journalism, he said his most eventful assignment was his three-and-a-half years in the Balkans War in former Yugoslavia, where he had many close brushes with death.
He agreed with The News that it was impossible for an intelligent, perceptive person to be absolutely neutral, because anybody with intelligence and intellect was sure to have his own opinions and his allegiances, and often these were reflected in the reportage.
“There were many among us who had sympathies with the Bosnian Muslims, but we had to tread the ground carefully, take care not to sound partisan.”
Asked how he found the state of journalism in Pakistan, he expressed his inability to do so, saying that he’d been in the country just seven hours. He said he had never had the chance to read any of the Pakistani journals in detail.
Regarding his travel to Pakistan, he admitted that he had apprehensions while leaving because of the security situation and that others had them too as he was coming, but hoped that all these would prove to be nothing more than apprehensions.
He said he was sure that the negative publicity Pakistan was getting in the world would prove to be highly exaggerated.
He was hopeful about the success of the Karachi Literature Festival. “Such festivals bring up lots of opportunities for people to interact and learn from each other.”