It’s not often that you come across a book that manages to tackle a broad cross-section of the world’s most urgent social issues without flinching; never mind one written by a collection of writers at the top of their game.
‘Writing on the Edge’ is that very book. It boasts contributions from leading writers like Martin Amis, Hari Kunzru, DBC Pierre and Ali Smith, as well as erudite articles from contributors less often found on the printed page. These include Slumdog Millionaire director Danny Boyle and Oscar-winner Daniel Day-Lewis.
While the contributor’s list is stellar, it’s the stories they have to tell which are truly remarkable. The book gives a genuinely global perspective, rather than just a selection of news-friendly hotspots, so as well as Daniel Day Lewis in Palestine you’ll also read about DBC Pierre in Armenia and Tracy Chevalier on the abuse of women in Burundi. Then there’s AA Gill in Chad, Minette Walters in Sierra Leone, Danny Boyle in Uzbekistan, Ali Smith in Morocco, Michael Faber in Ukraine, Jim Crace in Cambodia, Jon McGregor to Sudan-Nuba and Joanne Harris in Congo Brazzaville.
'The book gives a genuinely global perspective, rather than just a selection of news-friendly hotspots...'
Even among such a talented crowd, a few stories leave particular impact. I was struck by Hari Kunzru's powerful evocation of Assam, India. As he puts it, it’s a place that "on a global scale, is only ordinarily unhappy", but he brushes aside familiarity to make you see the shocking unfairness of the divide between poverty and wealth afresh, and the distance the people of Assam must feel from the "existence of a world of such opulence that it makes a mockery of (their) own."
Another powerful article sees Martin Amis being sent into the world of Colombian gang violence. He writes from within the barrios about a world where death and violence is rendered absurd by how arbitrarily it is meted out. It’s also a place where machismo rules, and machismo kills. The people Amis sketches are not monsters, though, they are terribly human. As a reader you are given an insight into the complex ebb and flow of pressures that shape young teenagers into killers, how people are forced to adapt to the situation they find themselves in. As he puts it, "To say this of human beings is to say both the best and the worst. They can get used to anything."
'Another powerful article sees Martin Amis being sent into the world of Colombian gang violence.'
Complementing the writing is a set of breath-taking pictures by award-winning photographer Tom Craig, who organised the book. His work mirrors the writing, and finds new ways to portray old tragedies.
Grappling with such intractable questions of poverty and conflict, there are of course few answers offered here. As with any compendium, the quality of the writing varies, but there’s more than enough here to introduce you to the world that exists beyond the headlines. It’s a startling eye-opener.
Words: Kevin E.G. Perry
Photos: Tom Craig