This is Christopher Hitchens review of 'The Secret Knowledge' by David Mamet. Mr. Mamet is probably America's most accomplished and talented dramatist, playwright and movie maker. His play Glengarry Glen Ross is a masterpiece, without doubt comparable to the best of Arthur Miller. As a political observer and commentator he is an utter disappointment, and not because of his recent turn to 'Conservatism' but because he is not capable of using his abundance of talent and insight, into the human condition, to provide anything but the most hackneyed, conformist kind of political observation. One need only read his recent interview in The Financial Times to confront his intellectual/political shallowness, although it is kind of shocking to read the empirical evidence of such a disappointing realization. Mr. Mamet does not share the arresting talent that Mr. Hitchens always demonstrates, without regard to his political position, in his always superb essays, no matter the subject. Roger Ebert in a recent tweet called Mr. Mamet a crank, I don't know that I would use that word; but Mr. Mamet now speaks from prejudice about the human condition rather than offering any usable,actionable insight in the human political predicament.
Literary Hack