Who invented the personal essay? That is hard to say. The ancient Roman
philosopher and cynical power broker, Seneca? The 16th century French
philosopher Montaigne certainly brought it to a peak of perfection.
There were many 19th century masters, not so many after that. Who is the
greatest living essayist writing in English? That requires no debate at
all. It is unquestionably Joseph Epstein. He is not only the best living
essayist; he is right up there in the company of Seneca and Montaigne,
but one of our own, living in our era and dealing with our pleasures and
travails. Epstein is penetrating. He is witty. He has a magic touch with
words, that hard to define but immediately recognizable quality called
style. Above all, he is impossible to put down. Epstein reads
omnivorously and brings us the best of what he reads, passages that we
would never have found on our own. How easy it is today, in the digital
age, drowning in emails and other ephemera, to forget the simple delight
of reading for no intended purpose. Like any master essayist, however,
this one brings us more than the shared experience of a lifetime of
reading. He brings us himself, alternately scolding and charming,
sparkling and deep, buoyant and sad, zany and wise, rebellious and
conservative, bookworm and sports fan, clever and everyman, debunker and
preservationist, deep into high culture, deep into low culture, curious,
fresh, and settled in his ways. This is the friend we all wish we could
have, the ideal, humane companion who is completely comfortable in his
own human skin. Like Plutarch, he gives us life teaching by example, but
with a wry smile and such a sure hand that we hardly notice the
instruction. It is pure pleasure.
