Other Books: Lisa Appignanesi

It is never easy to marshall intellectual resources to overturn opinions on a well-intentioned but misusable bill explicitly designed to safeguard the interests of the vulnerable. But when master wielders of the argumentative pen converge to the cause, it can be done""as demonstrated by this collection of essays against a recent UK bill banning offensive speech.

You have Salman Rushdie and Hanif Qureshi defending their right to speak their mind, complete with references to Freudian phallic symbolism. But the more persuasive are Hari Kunzru and Philip Pullman, who let literary tricks give way to plainspeak. A sample of the exertions: "There is no idea so sacred that it deserves protection from robust artistic attack." FREE EXPRESSION IS NO OFFENCE

Edited by Lisa Appignanesi
Rs 385
259 PAGES
Penguin