Two Sylvias' Weekly Muse: June 18, 2023

Issue 60

Hello Poets and Writers,

Author Katie Roiphe recently published an article in The Atlantic in which she discusses a new collection of writing by Susan Sontag. Sontag, who passed away in 2004, was a writer, philosopher, and political activist. Her writings were sometimes controversial as she dove into such topics as the Vietnam War, AIDS, human rights, political ideologies, the arts, and contemporary culture. Sontag has been described as “one of the most influential critics of her generation.”

In exploring Sontag’s recently published collection, On Women, which deals with various aspects of feminism, Katie Roiphe states: Sontag’s stylish, idiosyncratic approach to the preoccupations of her era can be distilled pretty well into tangible guidance for ours. This is one of those moments when smart voices from other times can offer us clarity and fresh perspectives on our own.

Roiphe creates a list of some of Sontag’s best advice for those who would like to think and write with an independe…