Author says art isn’t a kitten in need of saving
Margaret Atwood was in Davos on Wednesday to accept the World Economic Forum’s Crystal Award, which is based on a combination of artistic achievement and contribution to the world’s well-being. Atwood has unusual credibility among the Davos set, thanks to her surprising success as a writer on the topical subject of borrowing in 2008’s Payback: Debt and the Shadow Side of Wealth. She couldn’t deliver her planned Crystal acceptance speech because of some sort of organizational mess-up. Too bad. Her remarks on how art isn’t a “frill” that needs coddling are worth considering.