Wednesday, October 29, 2025

Recommended Essayists


You know the version of the conversation game where everyone lists their choice of extraordinary dinner companions. I propose a collection of essayists. You might not always agree with them – in fact, I’m certain you won’t because they’d disagree with one another – but you’ll be in for fine and often highly amusing writing.

I’ll set aside some well-known powerhouses such as James Baldwin, G. K. Chesterton, Joan Didion, George Orwell, Jonathan Swift, and Tom Wolfe.

Here goes:

Arguably: Essays by Christopher Hitchens

Cultural Amnesia: Necessary Memories from History and the Arts by Clive James

Cultural Cohesion: The Essential Essays by Clive James

Essays in Biography by Joseph Epstein

In a Cardboard Belt! Essays Personal, Literary, and Savage by Joseph Epstein

Latest Readings by Clive James

Once More Around the Block by Joseph Epstein.

The Ideal of Culture: Essays by Joseph Epstein

Things Worth Fighting For: Collected Writings by Michael Kelly


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