Inspiring--or do I mean depressing?--excerpts from the published work of selected dictators, from an article by Suzanne Merkelson in Foreign Policy: "Qaddafi rages against urban decay and Islamic fundamentalism"; "Saddam's literary prowess is shadowed by his stilted prose, a fondness for profanity, and blatant attempts to use his political enemies as the central villains of his stories"; "Kim Jong Il's books are written primarily to be showpieces for the regime, for display in libraries and museums"; "Young Ioseb Dzhugashvili's (Stalin's) work was considered good enough to be included in prestigious literary journals of the time and Georgian anthologies"; and, last but by no means least, "Saparmurat Niyazov, who reportedly instructed Turkmen youth that in order to go to heaven, they must read his book three times a day."
Oh, and the Ayatollah Khomenei wrote raunchy verse obsessed with booze and sex: "Open the door of the tavern and let us go there day and night,/ For I am sick and tired of the mosque and seminary." I know the feeling.
