Orhan Pamuk’s novel of the same name paints a grim picture of the breakdown in society after a local military coup.

We do seem to be obsessed with Apocolyptic stories, from the ludicrous 2012 to the fearsomely gripping The Road. Even the good old BBC have tried to scare us with Day of the Triffids and Survivors. Hollywood seems to prefer lone African-Americans wandering the streets in super-charged muscle cars.

Given that all great civilisations rise and fall, I wonder if the Persians, Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Aztecs, French, Austro-Hungarians, French, Germans did the same?

As the “developed world” declines and as China, India and South America rise, perhaps we need to take careful notice of the more intelligent prophets of doom.

I’m currently reading The Rapture. It’s a good yarn on a similar theme.

Why are we so fascinated with tales of the demise of humanity?