Violence, Truth, Fiction

It’s at that intersection between the private and the public, between emotion and ideology, that we start to look to the novelist (or playwright or screenwriter) for insight. (…) Who, though, claims an insight into the mind of the terrorist/freedom fighter? Partisans rarely express their ideology in fiction; more usually verse or the staccato action poetry of a manifesto. Outsiders rarely have adequate insight. Undue knowledge is seen as a sign of complicity.

The Madrid bombs are sparking that age-old question: What can fiction tell us? Understanding Outrage- How Fiction Can Help Find The Truth.