Literature, Politics and Intellectual Crisis in Britain Today FROM THE PUBLISHER
In 1997, 30 years after the demise of "Swinging London," Britain again seemed to be the center of the cultural universe, with a thriving arts scene, a new Labour Government and a young and enterprising prime minister. "Cool Britannia" seemed to sum up the new spirit of the 1990s in the hip language of the 1960s. In this book, Clive Bloom offers a radical and controversial guide to the possibilities for intellectual life, popular culture, literary production, and political authority in multicultural Britain in 2000 and beyond.
Author Biography: Clive Bloom is Professor of English and American Studies at Middlesex University, London.
FROM THE CRITICS
Booknews
In 1997, 30 years after the demise of "swinging London," Britain again seemed the center of the cultural universe, with a thriving arts scene, a new Labour government, and a young and enterprising prime minister. And yet, notes Bloom, the mood didn't last long and "cool Britannia" turned out to be an empty buzz phrase. Bloom (English and American studies, Middlesex U.) analyzes the social and political influences of the 20th century that have shaped the intellectual and artistic rhetoric of contemporary Britain. In particular, he emphasizes the cultural, moral, and historical critiques of socialist and conservative cultural thinkers as they fought over the guardianship of the avant garde and its relationship with literary heritage, academic debate, and communal identity. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
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