A prolific essayist and short story writer, Joseph Epstein has collected many of his most recent writings in a new book, The Ideal of Culture. The title is taken from the first of the book’s many essays, which vary from two to ten pages in length. Some of the essays are written to make us laugh, and in doing so make us aware of our human folly. Other essays are more conversational or academic in tone.
Epstein has written thirty books and countless articles, reviews, and stories. While going to a good college—the University of Chicago—he didn’t learn enough, and at some time in his life realized this and decided to do something about it. Kind editors along the way made it possible for him to be a public intellectual, which he denotes as a very inquiring person who takes
Get access to this article, plus the entire archive, by subscribing.