Popular not Original

In an interview on YouTube, Michael Hardt, author of Empire, noted that

Q: The two of you wrote a book Empire ... and has become kind of an intellectual best seller, it has been translated into 22 languages ... Why do you think the book had such an impact?

Hardt: Um. One never knows these things. But, one I idea I've had is that that the book the book is not terribly original. And I mean that in a good way, not out of any kind of modesty. Truly original books don't get read. Truly original books, no one can understand. What we are saying is not exactly obvious, but is, but people are already thinking. ... Books in general that have a kind of intellectual success are books people are ready for.

That's a pretty refreshing take by a successful author.