Gary Younge in The Ideas Letter:
In the film American Fiction, the culturally refined Dr Theolonius “Monk” Ellison, an African American author and professor, is struggling to get his highbrow novels published: the white gatekeepers to the literary world believe they are not “Black enough” and would rather put out ghetto stereotypes. So he writes a spoof novel, set in the hood, under the pseudonym Stagg R. Leigh. He calls it FUCK and pretends to be an author whose identity needs to be protected because he’s on the run from the police. It’s snapped up for a huge sum, giving Monk’s ghettofabulous doppelganger more money and attention than his culturally elevated original ever enjoyed. Later he is asked to join a judging panel for a book award, which has been accused of being too white. “I’m honored you’d choose me out of all the black writers you could go to for fear of being called racist,” says Monk facetiously.
FUCK is shortlisted for the award. The three white judges praise it as “gutsy”, “necessary” and “like gazing into an open wound”. When Monk and the only other Black judge argue that the book should not win the prize they are overruled by the three white judges, the most aggressively liberal of whom states: “I just think it’s essential to listen to black voices right now.” As the Black author of six books, much of the scene rang true to me. Indeed, the film wouldn’t work as a parody if it didn’t bear some resemblance to reality.
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