Some of the biggest names in literature have joined a protest against plans to hold terrorism suspects for up to 42 days. Writers including Philip Pullman, Ian Rankin, AL Kennedy, Andrew O’Hagan, Ali Smith, Jackie Kay and Hardeep Singh Kohli have contributed short stories to a campaign by the pressure group Liberty. Rankin, creator of the Rebus detective books, said in his story there was “no rationale” behind the decision to extend the time limit. He creates a scene in which two policemen discuss why the maximum of 42 days was proposed, with their answers ranging from the figure given as the meaning of life in the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy to the number of peanuts the two officers have eaten in the pub.
Philip Pullman was born on the 19th October, 1946 in Norwich, England. Pullman is best known for the series of books entitled His Dark Materials, the award winning children’s literature consisting of Northern Lights, The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass.
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