Curragh makes a similar point to mine, only better and more concisely, and provokes a longer, more confused reply from jsgilm. One that attempts to refute the charge of jingoistic irrelevance with a fresh dose of, er, jingoistic irrelevance. According to which, literary recognition is but "a sort of phantom strength", a poor surrogate for hegemony of the wholesome American kind. Books and empire cast in opposition! Now we're talking!