What are the most absurd jobs related to literature?
BarcelonaIn 2018, anthropologist David Graeber published Bullshit jobs. In theory.This essay reflects on a central paradox of the contemporary capitalist system: its capacity to generate unnecessary jobs within a structure that, in theory, should strive for efficiency and resource conservation. It has been published in Catalan by Descontrol. Absurd Jobs. A Theory, with translation by Miquel Sorribas.
Graeber describes absurd work as "that kind of paid work so utterly useless, unnecessary, or harmful that even the person performing it cannot justify its existence, although, as part of the contractual conditions, they feel obliged to suggest otherwise." For him, this inconsistency is not a flaw in the capitalist system, because the current economy is geared toward preserving hierarchies and control: it produces work to maintain order, ensure everyone is occupied and doesn't rebel, and uphold the symbolic value of what we call the work ethic.
Graeber identifies five main varieties of absurd jobs: the lackeyswhich serve to make another person appear or feel important; the henchmen, who act to defend or manipulate on behalf of an institution; the patchers, which maintain dysfunctional structures; the window dresserswho create paperwork to make it appear that something is being done, and, finally, the Manaiahs, which generate absurd and unnecessary work for others to justify their own.
Since we usually talk about literature here, I wondered if there are absurd works within the literary system as well. The answer, unfortunately, is yes.
Authors who are not authors
On one hand, we have lackeys, And we find them in those authors who aren't really authors, who, when Sant Jordi arrives, lend their name and face to books written by others. They are also those critics who praise the books of their bosses or people with power and influence. Their work doesn't create cultural value, but rather an illusion of authority, talent, or brand.
There is henchmen, And it is the juries or cultural organizations behind the already decided awards, and they only exist to shield influences and perpetuate fictions of power.
There are also patchers to the distribution chains, which not only get the books to the bookstores (this is necessary), but also help to compensate for a system error: the oversaturation of a market that produces too many books, too fast and for too few readers.
Ofwindow dressers We will find them in abundance, writing justification reports for grants and subsidies that no one will read and that will not improve any project, but that serve to demonstrate that culture is under control.
Finally, the Manaiahs: top bosses, managers of managers and coordinators of coordinators, orbiting through institutional offices and dancing to the rhythm of the revolving doors of the cultural world.
Faced with this circus, what role is left for us authors? Perhaps to not lose faith in words and to keep writing to find some truth that the system cannot devour and end up turning into worthless paper.
