Published during the heyday of fascism in Europe, It Can’t Happen Here is a chilling cautionary tale by one of the greatest American writers of the twentieth century, which is still startlingly relevant almost a century later.
Charting the rise to power of Berzelius ‘Buzz’ Windrip, who whips his supporters into a frenzy while promising drastic reform under a banner of patriotism and traditional values, It Can’t Happen Here decries the tactics used by politicians to mobilise voters, and exposes the danger of authoritarianism arising from populist platforms, and the chaos such regimes can leave in their wake.
An eerily prescient foreshadowing of current affairs.
Guardian
The novel that foreshadowed Donald Trump’s authoritarian appeal.
Salon
