I’ve always been drawn to literature with a bit of controversy about it. From “Lolita” to “Satanic Verses” I’m drawn to the forbidden. So it is no different in my choices for reading material to further my Vitki training.
Rvery genre has its outcast authors. Fiction, nonfiction. It seems to make no difference. And so the world of literature of interest to the Vitki is surprisingly no exception.
Most of the controversy in this genre seems to swirl about the authors non literary personality more than the content of their works. It seems though as if few books in this category get released or reviewed without a fair share of mud slinging. Or if it takes a few years for the dirt to come out you can almost bet it will come out sooner or later.
Take The Godfather of all Vitki workers at least in the USA. No mention of his name these days is not met without cries of downright hate and bile. Or take the author of books on seidr being hailed as a Neo Nazi. We spare such wrath for those of our ilk mostly I think because we don’t want it to be true. We’re hoping for a statement to the contrary. Could these accusations be true? Maybe so.
I guess I would say that it’s not my place to judge the soul of another person. Whom ever they may be in their private lives rarely impacts the validity of the work they present for me. I don’t need to share my life with them. Only gain whatever knowledge or insights their work may present.
Is this view of mine adding to the controversy? Maybe. Not mine to judge. My only job is to read as much as what comes down the pike in this genre. Read it with a thinking eye. Looking toward any attitude or belief that may rub me wrong. And as the father of an African American daughter with beautiful biracial kids as my grandkids my attention is always on full alert for nonsense.
So I read at my own risk. As should you. Do some background checking on an author who is new to you. Make the decision yourself. Don’t let Facebook tell you what to read!
Or you can just be like me. Always intrigued by a bit of controversy…
I think it is important to be well read even if we do not agree with the personal beliefs of the author. If we are aware of those beliefs, then we are able to read in context, understanding that what is written may lean towards a certain bias.
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