Joseph Epstein (born January 9, 1937) is an American writer who was the editor of the magazine ''

The American Scholar "The American Scholar" was a speech given by Ralph Waldo Emerson on August 31, 1837, to the Phi Beta Kappa Society of Harvard College at the First Parish in Cambridge in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He was invited to speak in recognition of his gr ...

'' from 1975 to 1997. His essays and stories have appeared in books and other publications.

Early life

Epstein was born to Maurice and Belle Epstein in Chicago, Illinois on January 9, 1937. He graduated from

Senn High School Senn High School is a public four-year high school located in the Edgewater neighborhood on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Senn is operated by the Chicago Public Schools system and was opened on 3 February 1913. The school ...

and attended the

University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Universit ...

. He served in the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

from 1958 to 1960, and received a bachelor of arts in absentia from the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

in 1959.

Career

Epstein's essay "Who Killed Poetry?", published in ''

Commentary Commentary or commentaries may refer to: Publications * ''Commentary'' (magazine), a U.S. public affairs journal, founded in 1945 and formerly published by the American Jewish Committee * Caesar's Commentaries (disambiguation), a number of works ...

'' in 1988, generated discussion in the literary community decades after its publication. Admirers of Epstein's writings include

Jacques Barzun Jacques Martin Barzun (; November 30, 1907 – October 25, 2012) was a French-American historian known for his studies of the history of ideas and cultural history. He wrote about a wide range of subjects, including baseball, mystery novels, and ...

Philip Larkin Philip Arthur Larkin (9 August 1922 – 2 December 1985) was an English poet, novelist, and librarian. His first book of poetry, '' The North Ship'', was published in 1945, followed by two novels, '' Jill'' (1946) and '' A Girl in Winter'' (1 ...

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, William Barrett,

Sidney Hook Sidney Hook (December 20, 1902 – July 12, 1989) was an American philosopher of pragmatism known for his contributions to the philosophy of history, the philosophy of education, political theory, and ethics. After embracing communism in his youth ...

Herman Wouk Herman Wouk ( ; May 27, 1915 – May 17, 2019) was an American author best known for historical fiction such as ''The Caine Mutiny'' (1951) for which he won the Pulitzer Prize in fiction. His other major works include ''The Winds of War'' and ' ...

Gordon S. Wood Gordon Stewart Wood (born November 27, 1933) is an American historian and professor at Brown University. He is a recipient of the 1993 Pulitzer Prize for History for '' The Radicalism of the American Revolution'' (1992). His book ''The Creation o ...

Norman Podhoretz Norman Podhoretz (; born January 16, 1930) is an American magazine editor, writer, and conservative political commentator, who identifies his views as " paleo-neoconservative".

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Saul Bellow Saul Bellow (born Solomon Bellows; 10 July 1915 – 5 April 2005) was a Canadian-born American writer. For his literary work, Bellow was awarded the Pulitzer Prize, the Nobel Prize for Literature, and the National Medal of Arts. He is the only wr ...

Gene Siskel Eugene Kal Siskel (January 26, 1946 – February 20, 1999) was an American film critic and journalist for the ''Chicago Tribune''. Along with colleague Roger Ebert, he hosted a series of movie review programs on television from 1975 until his d ...

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Who's He by William F Buckley Jr., New Criterion (2002)
https://www.commentary.org/articles/joseph-epstein/author-reflects-on-literary-fame/ Fame by Joseph Epstein, in Commentary (October 2020)]

Visiting adjunct lecturer (1974–2002)

From 1974 to 2002, Epstein was a visiting adjunct lecturer in literature and writing at

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

Editor of ''The American Scholar'' (1975–1997)

In 1975, he began serving as the editor of ''

'', the magazine of the

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal a ...

society, and wrote for it under the pseudonym "

Aristides Aristides ( ; grc-gre, Ἀριστείδης, Aristeídēs, ; 530–468 BC) was an ancient Athenian statesman. Nicknamed "the Just" (δίκαιος, ''dikaios''), he flourished in the early quarter of Athens' Classical period and is remember ...

." During the 1980s and 1990s, Epstein received increasing criticism for commentary widely regarded as anti-feminist, as well as for his "one-sided" management of the editorial page. He compared feminist scholars at various times to “pit bulls” and “dykes on bikes”. In 1991, he was the subject of an op-ed by

Joyce Carol Oates Joyce Carol Oates (born June 16, 1938) is an American writer. Oates published her first book in 1963, and has since published 58 novels, a number of plays and novellas, and many volumes of short stories, poetry, and non-fiction. Her novels '' Bla ...

calling for his resignation: “It is an embarrassment that Joseph Epstein should have been its editor for so many years. His resignation is long overdue.” He met with further criticism for giving cultural conservatives as

Gertrude Himmelfarb Gertrude Himmelfarb (August 8, 1922 – December 30, 2019), also known as Bea Kristol, was an American historian. She was a leader of conservative interpretations of history and historiography. She wrote extensively on intellectual history, w ...

and

Dinesh D’Souza Dinesh Joseph D'Souza (; born April 25, 1961) is an Indian-American Right-wing politics, right-wing political commentator, author, filmmaker, and conspiracy theorist. He has written over a dozen books, several of them The New York Times Best S ...

a platform in the journal, and his failure to offer space for their adversaries. In 1996, the Phi Beta Kappa senate voted to remove Epstein as editor of ''The American Scholar'' at the end of 1997. The decision was controversial, and Epstein later claimed that he was fired "for being insufficiently correct politically." Some within Phi Beta Kappa attributed the senate's decision to a desire to attract a younger readership for the journal. Upon Epstein’s eventual firing, a former president of Phi Beta Kappa said: "He has been driving people crazy for years. What has changed is that more and more senators were elected who are uncomfortable with the totally one-sided views in the journal."

Criticism

Article on homosexuality (1970)

In September 1970, ''

Harper's Magazine ''Harper's Magazine'' is a monthly magazine of literature, politics, culture, finance, and the arts. Launched in New York City in June 1850, it is the oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the U.S. (''Scientific American'' is older, b ...

'' published an article by Epstein called "Homo/Hetero: The Struggle for Sexual Identity" that used the word "nigger" to describe being gay and was criticized for its perceived

homophobia Homophobia encompasses a range of negative attitude (psychology), attitudes and feelings toward homosexuality or people who are identified or perceived as being lesbian, gay or bisexual. It has been defined as contempt, prejudice, aversion, h ...

.Larry P. Gross & James D. Woods, ''The Columbia Reader on Lesbians and Gay Men in Media, Society, and Politics'' (

Columbia University Press Columbia University Press is a university press based in New York City, and affiliated with Columbia University. It is currently directed by Jennifer Crewe (2014–present) and publishes titles in the humanities and sciences, including the fiel ...

, 1999), , p. 595
Excerpts available
at

Google Books Google Books (previously known as Google Book Search, Google Print, and by its code-name Project Ocean) is a service from Google Inc. that searches the full text of books and magazines that Google has scanned, converted to text using optical c ...

. Epstein wrote that he considered homosexuality "a curse, in a literal sense" and that his sons could do nothing to make him sadder than "if any of them were to become homosexual." Gay activists characterized the essay as portraying every gay man the author met, or imagined meeting, as predatory, sex-obsessed, and a threat to civilization. In the essay, he says that, if possible, "I would wish homosexuality off the face of the earth," a statement that was interpreted by gay writer and editor

Merle Miller Merle Dale Miller (May 17, 1919 – June 10, 1986) was an American writer, novelist, and author who is perhaps best remembered for his best-selling biography of Harry S. Truman, and as a pioneer in the gay rights movement. Miller came out ...

as a call to

genocide Genocide is the intentional destruction of a people—usually defined as an ethnic, national, racial, or religious group—in whole or in part. Raphael Lemkin coined the term in 1944, combining the Greek word (, "race, people") with the Latin ...

. A

sit-in A sit-in or sit-down is a form of direct action that involves one or more people occupying an area for a protest, often to promote political, social, or economic change. The protestors gather conspicuously in a space or building, refusing to mo ...

took place at ''Harper's'' by members of the

Gay Activists Alliance The Gay Activists Alliance (GAA) was founded in New York City on December 21, 1969, almost six months after the Stonewall riots, by dissident members of the Gay Liberation Front (GLF). In contrast to the Liberation Front, the Activists Alliance ...

. In 2015, Epstein wrote an article for ''

The Weekly Standard ''The Weekly Standard'' was an American neoconservative political magazine of news, analysis and commentary, published 48 times per year. Originally edited by founders Bill Kristol and Fred Barnes, the ''Standard'' had been described as a "red ...

'' in which he mentioned the ''Harper's'' article from 1970. He wrote, "I am pleased the tolerance for homosexuality has widened in America and elsewhere, that in some respects my own aesthetic sensibility favors much homosexual artistic production.... My only hope now is that, on my gravestone, the words Noted Homophobe aren’t carved."

Article on Jill Biden (2020)

In a December 2020 ''

Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

'' opinion piece, he suggested that

Jill Biden Jill Tracy Jacobs Biden (born June 3, 1951) is an American educator and the current first lady of the United States since 2021, as the wife of President Joe Biden. She was the second lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017 when her hus ...

stop using the academic title "Dr.," which she earned as a

Doctor of Education The Doctor of Education (Ed.D. or D.Ed.; Latin ''Educationis Doctor'' or ''Doctor Educationis'') is (depending on region and university) a research or professional doctoral degree that focuses on the field of education. It prepares the holder for a ...

, saying that it "feels fraudulent, not to say a touch comic." The piece, which opens by addressing her as "Madame First Lady—Mrs. Biden—Jill—kiddo," was criticized on

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

by several public figures. He also critiqued the title of Biden's dissertation, ''Student Retention at the Community College Level: Meeting Students' Needs'', calling it "unpromising." Biden later responded during an interview on ''

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert ''The Late Show with Stephen Colbert'' is an American late-night news and liberal political satire talk show hosted by Stephen Colbert, which premiered on September 8, 2015. Produced by Spartina Productions and CBS Studios, it is the second it ...

'', indicating that she was surprised at the tone of the article and at Epstein's use of the word "kiddo" to address her, stating that she was proud of her doctorate, for which she had worked hard. Northwestern University and its English department (where he worked as a visiting adjunct lecturer from 1974 till 2002) each released a statement condemning Epstein's opinion. The University wrote, "Northwestern is firmly committed to equity, diversity and inclusion, and strongly disagrees with Mr. Epstein’s

misogynistic Misogyny () is hatred of, contempt for, or prejudice against women. It is a form of sexism that is used to keep women at a lower social status than men, thus maintaining the societal roles of patriarchy. Misogyny has been widely practiced fo ...

views," and noted that it was nearly 20 years since his employment there. The university also removed Epstein's page from its website, where he had been listed as an emeritus lecturer of English.

Awards and recognition

Selected works

*''Divorced In America : Marriage In an Age of Possibility'' (1975) *''Familiar Territory: Observations on American Life'' (1979) *''Life Sentences : Literary Essays'' (1980) *''Ambition : The Secret Passion'' (1981) *''Middle of My Tether : Familiar Essays'' (1983) *''Plausible Prejudices : Essays on American Writing'' (1985) *''Once More Around The Block : Familiar Essays'' (1987) *''Partial Payments : Essays on Writers & Their Lives'' (1989) *''The Goldin Boys : Stories'' (1991) *''A Line Out for a Walk : Familiar Essays'' (1991) *''Pertinent Players : Essays on The Literary Life'' (1993) *''With My Trousers Rolled : Familiar Essays'' (1995) *''Anglophilia, American Style'' (1997) *''Narcissus Leaves The Pool'' (1999) *'Snobbery : The American Version'' (2002) *''Envy'' (2003) *''Fabulous Small Jews'' (2003) *''Alexis De Tocqueville : Democracy's Guide'' (2006) *''Friendship : An Expose'' (2006) *''In A Cardboard Belt : Essays Personal, Literary and Savage'' (2007) *''Fred Astaire'' (2008) *''The Love Song of A. Jerome Minkoff & Other Stories'' (2010) *''Gossip : The Untrivial Pursuit'' (2011) *''Essays In Biography'' (2012) *''Distant Intimacy : A Friendship in the Age of Internet'' (2013) (co-authored with Frederic Raphael) *''A Literary Education & Other Essays'' (2014) *''Masters of the Games : Essays & Stories on Sport'' (2014) *''Where Were We : The Conversation Continues'' (2015) (co-authored with Frederic Raphael) *''Frozen In Time : Twenty Stories'' (2016) *''Wind Sprints : Shorter Essays'' (2016) *''Victimhood : The New Virtue'' (2017) *''Charm : The Elusive Enchantment'' (2018) *''The Ideal of Culture : Essays'' (2018) *''Gallimaufry : A Collection of Essays, Reviews, Bits'' (2020)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Epstein, Joseph American short story writers American essayists Northwestern University faculty National Humanities Medal recipients University of Chicago alumni University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign alumni Jewish American writers 1937 births Living people United States Army personnel Neoconservatism 21st-century American Jews