It was fascinating, watching Remy, the rat, in Ratatouille, the animated movie. Yet, the character that grabbed my attention was Mr. Anton Ego (the critic), who resembles many of the critics that we encounter in our lives.Here's a confession that Mr. Anton writes as part of his review, after he tastes the dish (ratatouille) prepared by Remy, and is flash-backed to his childhood, when his mother used to cook ratatouille for him...
In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face is that, in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism designating it so. But there are times when a critic truly risks something, and that is in the discovery and defense of the new. The world is often unkind to new talents, new creations. The new needs friends.
Raffi