So you think you can tell?
Right now, at what can feel like a time of moral and political emergency, we cling to sentimental bromides about the importance of art. We treat it as an escape, a balm, a vague set of values that exist beyond the ugliness and venality of the market and the state. Or we look to art for affirmation of our pieties and prejudices. It splits the... See more
A.O. SCOTT • How Susan Sontag Taught Me to Think
As Ross puts it, “Wagner was the original canceled artist;” his enduring reception tells us something about the way art resists and transcends bouts of political purification and vilification. Much to learn here in our own moment.
mailchi.mp • Sin Eaters in a Sacramental Cosmos
The poem was not so bad. I won’t publish it here. Or anywhere. Maybe I’ll be able to give it to my daughter when she is older. Maybe it will mean a lot to her. Maybe not. But it meant a lot to me.
I am not terribly optimistic about the state of the world. I do not think the people with power and wealth are working to improve our lives. In the realm... See more
I am not terribly optimistic about the state of the world. I do not think the people with power and wealth are working to improve our lives. In the realm... See more