ABSTRACT
Ever since its emergence in the late nineteenth century, clandestine political violence against civilian targets has been the object of severe condemnation and abhorrence, while simultaneously inspiring fearful fascination and fantasy. Owing, in part, to its close connection to the modern mass media, the phenomenon known today as “sub-state terrorism” has invariably been accompanied by extensive public discourse on the invisible perpetrators in our midst and their horrifying words and deeds. To some extent, the idea of tapping into the creativity of screenwriters and directors seems like a logical consequence of the common perception that the September 11 attacks themselves appeared to have sprung from Hollywood films. Taken together, the clandestine nature of terrorist activities and the close connection between terror and the imagination may help to explain why writers of fiction were so quick to respond when sub-state violence against public targets first emerged – in various guises – on the stage of history.
