Leading article: Morrissey's instant classic?
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Bigmouth has struck again. Morrissey is ready to unleash his autobiography on an eager world, but only if it is published as a Penguin Classic. The former Smiths singer's logic for this unusual requirement is interesting: "I can't see why not... When you consider what really hits print these days and when you look at autobiographies and how they are sold, most of it is appalling."
He might be right about the quality of many new books. But sadly, the fact that a garden is full of weeds does not guarantee that the next growth will be a rose. The possibility that Morrissey's book might not merit the exalted status he desires does not appear to have crossed his mind.
Penguin seems keen to indulge the singer, suggesting that the book must be "a classic in the making". But sadly for Morrissey, it's the accumulated judgement of posterity, rather than authors, which determines what literature survives and what gets pulped.
Rather than fretting about how his book is branded, the singer should perhaps think a little more about the content. Many years ago, Morrissey sang: "And if you have five seconds to spare, I'll tell you the story of my life".
If his autobiography is going to be readable, never mind a classic, it will need to be much more involving than that.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments