As The Guardian reports today, more than two-hundred “prominent” international authors, including Günter Grass, Salman Rushdie, Margaret Atwood, and Jonathan Franzen, have joined forces to denounce the “chokehold” they say Russia’s anti-gay and blasphemy laws place on the freedom of expression, amid a growing swell of protest on the eve of the opening of the Sochi Winter Olympics. Besides Grass, three more Nobel laureates have joined the protest: Wole Soyinka, Elfriede Jelinek, and Orhan Pamuk. Among the “acclaimed” writers from over thirty countries are Ariel Dorfman, Carol Ann Duffy, Edward Albee, Julian Barnes, Ian McEwan, and Neil Gaiman. The protest itself does not impress me very much, for I find it pretty useless in the face of Putin’s might, but I am amazed by the number of authors I have never even heard of, let alone read. In fact, I recognize only Grass, Rushdie, and Pamuk, of whom I have never read anything by Rushdie. Well, I was not only amazed, but also delighted by my ignorance. “Gosh,” I almost shouted, “I am way ahead of my time!” Authors, schmauthors. Prominent or acclaimed, they will only entertain Putin and his stooges.