ABSTRACT
For a while in the mid-1990s, the philosopher Denis Dutton ran an annual bad writing contest, inviting readers of his journal Philosophy and Literature to submit their favourite snippets. The rare publishing successes of anthropology can always teach us something about the craft of writing, the many forms of translation – Paul Feyerabend once said that the best translation of a book by Dostoyevsky might be one by Dickens – and, occasionally, the temptations of literary populism. The style of writing is light enough to be accessible to readers in their late teens, yet the content can be as challenging as the writer is capable of making it. While caring for one’s readers is a laudable trait in any writer, stereotypical ideas about readers’ expectations do not make for innovative writing. The use of a narrative mode of presentation, good writing and a sense of urgency are equally important.
