Writing in books is itself contentious, and Ms Jackson is interesting on the motives of marginal scribblers.

ECONOMIST: Reading habits

Until now most of the speculation about a eurozone break-up has come from Anglo-Saxon scribblers, as the folks in Brussels repeatedly like to point out.

BBC: Will the euro survive?

Whereas Mr Obama tosses only sporadic crumbs to the hordes of scribblers who follow him, Mr McCain spends hours at the back of the bus blabbing with them.

ECONOMIST: John McCain

Scribblers like Shawki came to meet older, established writers.

ECONOMIST: The caf�� at the heart of revolutionary Cairo

But it is also true of lesser-known scribblers.

ECONOMIST: Lexington: The rise of the Obamacons | The

He was wrong, and therein lies a lesson for all hardworking scribblers: stick around long enough, develop a cult following, gain the approval of one or two literary dudes, and you, too, can become respectable.

NEWYORKER: Easy Writers

Will scribblers never get their due?

NEWYORKER: Politics and Prose

It seems however that Elaine does not have this idea for her joint at the beginning, but moves up from Greenwich Village in 1963 with her pots and pans with the thought that she will open a writers' dive, for she has a soft spot for all scribblers, especially when they are down on their luck.

ECONOMIST: Elaine Kaufman