My essay on Heine and Dante (in fact, on idealized love for Beatrice vs Herodias) appears on the main First Things website this morning. Heinrich Heine remains my moral compass, not because he got everything right (he got many things hideously wrong until the very end of his life) but because he always was all in. He went after his friends with the same gusto as he went after his enemies when they did stupid things, and he took no prisoners. More to the point, he understood how personal the political was. I can’t recommend too highly his utterly weird epic poem Atta Troll. Several translations are available via Google books. Better yet, learn German, and then read Atta Troll. Unlike Dante, to whom Virgil says, “Non ti curar’ di lor, ma guarda e passa” (Don’t worry about them, but look and move on), Heine gets involved with the damned. It is over the top. Whenever too many people seem to like my work, I worry that I have become complacent, and go back to Heine for inspiration.
Time is short, so I’ll be direct: FIRST THINGS needs you. And we need you by December 31 at 11:59 p.m., when the clock will strike zero. Give now at supportfirstthings.com.
First Things does not hesitate to call out what is bad. Today, there is much to call out. Yet our editors, authors, and readers like you share a greater purpose. And we are guided by a deeper, more enduring hope.
Your gift of $50, $100, or even $250 or more will bring this message of hope to many more people in the new year.
Make your gift now at supportfirstthings.com.
First Things needs you. I’m confident you’ll answer the call.