Authors Take Sides - Iraq and the Gulf War.

• Jurisdiction: Australia
• Author: Howard, Rachel
• Date: 01 January 2005

Authors Take Sides--Iraq and the Gulf War Jean Moorcroft Wilson and Cecil Woolf (eds) Carlton, Vic., Melbourne University Press, 2004. $29.95

Authors Take Sides is a book made up of two distinct parts about two different wars, written by two very different cohorts of Authors.

In the first part of the book, Authors answer whether they were 'for or against, the American-led military action against Saddam Hussein's regime in March 2003' and explain if they 'believe that the intervention will bring about lasting peace and stability in the region' (p. 15). In the second half, the contributing Authors answer whether they were 'for, or against, the use of armed force in liberating Kuwait' in 1991 and provide their opinions on whether 'lasting peace and stability [can] be restored to the Middle East' (p. 104). The book is, essentially, a compilation of their survey responses.

The Editors, Jean Moorcroft Wilson and Cecil Woolf, explain 'The notion that authors' views are worth our attention stems from the belief that to write is, primarily, to bear witness to the truth: that the writer, of all men, has a duty not to avert his gaze from the critical issues of his day and his society' (p.4).

Yet some contributing authors expressed doubt about their political relevance. The very first entry, a short poem by Dannie Abse described the author as "ineffectual":

 Bring your TV cameras, bring your microphones. Soldier to the broad gate, soldiers to the fire. Oblivion is their name, vultures to their bones, While far behind, with proper melancholy, The ineffectual poet strums his lyre. (p. 17) 

In his contribution, David Malouf asked, 'Why writers? Are...