Iraqi writer discusses the ties between politics, literature and culture

Iraklı yazar Fadıl Hüseyin el-Hafaci wrote about the relationship between politics, literature and culture in a piece that weighed the pressures shaping young writers and artists. He said some views hold that younger writers turn to politics because of livelihood concerns and because the state does not provide enough support for artists. The article also said another view holds that literature and politics do not conflict in principle, but that politics often uses cultural production for its own interests. El-Hafaci wrote that some writers abandon their principles for personal gain and place their pens at the service of political interests. He said culture is a value that cannot be subject to bargaining, and that the true intellectual should remain someone who protects society’s values. The piece ended by describing culture as the voice of life and truth.