A State of Denmark

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	A State of Denmark
	by Derek Raymond Sales Rank: 308485	~~List Price: $14.95~~ $11.66 At Amazon on 8-4-2008.

*Features* Cover Type: Paperback with 288 pages Published by: Serpent's Tail; Reprint edition September 1, 2007 Written in: English ISBN 10 Number: 185242947X ISBN 13 Number: 978-1852429478 Book Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 0.9 inches Weighs: 7.8 ounces *Product Description* "Raymond's novel is rooted firmly in the dystopian vision of Orwell and Huxley, sharing their air of horrifying hopelessness."-Sunday Times It is the 1960s. England has become a dictatorship, governed by a sly, ruthless politician called Jobling. All non-whites have been deported, The English Times is the only newspaper, and ordinary people live in dread of nightly curfews and secret police. Derek Raymond's skill is to make all too plausible the transition from complacent democracy to dictatorship in a country preoccupied by consumerism and susceptible to media spin. *About The Author* Derek Raymond was born Robin Cook in 1931. The son of a textile magnate, he dropped out of public school aged sixteen and spent much of his early career among criminals. The Factory series followed his early novels, The Crust on Its Uppers and A State of Denmark. He died in London in 1994. *Reader Reviews* This review is from: A State of Denmark (A Mask Noir Title) (Paperback) Derek Raymond, the nom de plume of Robert William Arthur Cook (a/k/a Robin Cook), died in 1994 a master of the grisly. His Factory series of crime novels is not for the squeamish. "A State of Denmark," originally published in 1970, predates the Factory series and has a different theme that at the time must have resonated in England, with its strong economic regulation and, in many quarters, embrace of socialism, disdain for capitalism, and belief that individual liberty was a dubious idea, quaint, outdated, and inefficient, and at best to be tolerated as long as it did not interfere with collective goals. In brief, England is ruled by a leftist dictator named Jobling who has turned the country into a vicious totalitarian state. Jobling governs through a melange of fascism, socialism, and brutal oppression, all made possible by a cult of personality that surrounds him following a coup d'�tat that England's bourgeoisie have spinelessly accepted and the working class have welcomed. So far, so good. And it's very well-written, with wonderful imagery throughout. The problem is the implausibility of the plot. The main character, Richard Watt, and his companion, Magda Carson, have fled England and developed a vineyard in rural Italy. He is a hardy character who, as a journalist in England, battled Jobling and after Jobling's coup found himself unemployed and unemployable. Yet for implausible reasons he and Magda accept Italian orders to quit their voluntary exile and return to the bleakness of England, where they meet a fate that the reader will discover. It's impossible to accept that such a resolute and stalwart character would put his life and liberty in jeopardy by doing so. Rather, he'd be arranging passage to Brazil or Australia. The other implausibility is that the Italian government would be so afraid of Jobling that it would issue the deportation orders. The England of "A State of Denmark" is hardly the Germany of "The Garden of the Finzi-Contini," able to persuade the Italian authorities to round people up and ship them to concentration camps. It is an economic basket case that is unable to feed and clothe its own people and is surrounded by enemies. Watt's and Italy's capitulations to Jobling require too much suspension of disbelief. Comment \| \| (Report this) Back To Top
A State of Denmark Available from Amazon Price: $11.66 Updated on 8-4-2008.

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