The infernal library : on dictators, the books they wrote, and other catastrophes of literacy

Summary: "Since the days of the Roman Empire, dictators have written books. But in the twentieth century despots enjoyed unprecedented print-runs to (literally) captive audiences. The titans of the genre -- Stalin, Mussolini, and Khomeini among them -- produced theoretical works, spiritual manifestos, poetry, memoirs, and even the occasional romance novel, and established a literary tradition of soul-crushing tedium that continues to this day. Daniel Kalder, an 'excellent writer, with a vivid turn of phrase' (Daily Telegraph), asks: What do these books reveal about the dictatorial soul? How did the production of literature become central to the running of regimes? And how can books and literacy, most often viewed as inherently positive, cause immense and lasting harm? Marshalled upon the beleaguered shelves of The Infernal Library are the books and commissioned works of the twentieth century's most notorious figures. Their words led to the deaths of millions. Their conviction in the significance of their own thoughts brokered no argument. And it is perhaps no surprise then, as Kalder argues, that many dictators began their careers as writers."