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Sat 11 Nov 2007Time for the critic as artistLiterary CriticismCriticism, writes Hegel, is "a god that self-destructs . . . a self-annihilating nothing". This definition sprang to mind recently as I sat alone outside a restaurant in Istanbul, feeling a little smug about a lecture I'd given the night before and the expenses-paid day ahead.Inevitably, a couple of drunken locals invited me to their table. It didn't take them long to get out of me what I did for a living: I was, I admitted, a sort of critic. Hilarity ensued, followed by friendly sarcasm: more drinks were ordered, glasses raised and my back slapped. I was, after all, "a very important man!".