Oh man. This had been on my list for a while, but moved considerably up in response to starting Neverland by Vanessa Kisuule which was not quite the book I was expecting - whilst that more used the idea of discussing the art vs. the artist as a launch pad for talking about how hero worship takes on a life outside of the art, I wanted to read something more specifically delving into art vs. artist and what is to be done about, as Monsters’ subtitle asks, great art by “bad” people. My investment in this: I have eschewed art I loved by people who turned out to be bad. I am also a big fan of someone whose name gets thrown around a lot in this arena and whose guilt I, to be honest, think is questionable but nonetheless feel a certain discomfort around enjoying as a result. Dederer is a fascinating, thoughtful writer who takes neither prisoner nor easy answer. Monsters is a book of much nuance, so to distill it would do it a disservice, but I think it’s fair to say that it tips its hand towards the side of the art still being worth enjoying, though not without caveat. There’s a really interesting conclusion to be drawn around how this fits with our inescapable model of capitalism and consumerism, which has left me with a lot to think about. The whole thing delves into a rich tapestry of different approaches, different types of “bad” people, and the idea of the stain that spreads out wider and backwards, re-colouring the art in unimaginable ways. It is hard to watch Manhattan in the same way as it is Annie Hall. It is difficult to listen to The Suburbs in the same way as you did before. That doesn’t, I think, necessarily make it wrong. So why do I still cut out some art but not others? Why does it feel more right to want to not consume JK Rowling or Louis C.K., compared to others? I have spent so many years thinking about this, and whilst it doesn’t necessarily crystalise every thought I had, (and while it does crystalise a whole bunch of other thoughts I hadn’t begun to consider) Monsters is as comprehensive a text as you could hope for, written with grace and humour. A high recommendation.