Serpents in the Garden : Liaisons with Culture & Sex (Counterpunch)

Rating:
Summary: "There's always that space, at the margins, for originality"
Review: "Serpents in the Garden" is an excellent compilation of essays divided into 5 subsections: Culture, Music, Art and Architecture, Sex, & Death. Contributors include editors Alexander Cockburn and Jeffrey St. Clair (you may know them from the Counterpunch website). Like the majority of essay collections, the quality of the essays varies, but most of the essays in this book are excellent. And above all, this is an eclectic selection, so there's something for everyone. For example, I know very little about architecture, and it's a topic that quite frankly I thought I would have found boring. Not so! Alexander Cockburn's essay "Freud's House" details Berggase 19--Freud's home in Vienna from 1891 until 1938. Cockburn explores Freud's early associations with the building, and also how this neighbourhood reflects Freud's influence. Other fascinating essays in the "Art and Architecture" section include "The Rich in their Castles in Spain--part 1." This essay also by Cockburn details Addison Mizner's buildings in Florida. Jeffery St Clair's essay on Frank Lloyd Wright "Usonian Utopias" covers the architect's buildings, his politics (he was a pacifist), and his long-term problems with J. Edgar Hoover (Hoover maintained FBI files on Wright).

In the section "Music", there's a marvelously touching essay by David Vest called "The making of Tammy Wynette." At the other end of the spectrum, there's a fascinating essay "The Story of Death Row records" by Jeffrey St Clair.

The section "Sex" is composed of 11 excellent essays. Out of these 11, I picked two favourites. One of my favourites is "Eros Meets Civilization: Gershon Legman Confronts the Post Office" by Susan Davis. Legman battled the Post Office over the delivery of certain materials deemed obscene. This fascinating essay illustrates the unassailable power of the post office in the 1950s. Another essay "Covering Justice: Ashcroft's Breast Fetish" by Dr. Susan Davis describes Attorney General Ashcroft ordering an $8,000 cover-up for the statute of Spirit of Justice. The statue has not bothered anyone for 70 odd years (it was made in the 30s), and here we are in a brand new century, and someone is so offended by it, the statute has to be dressed. How bizarre, repressive and very Victorian.

Finally, in the section, "Death" are two marvelous essays. "Ted's Spell" is written by Ben Sonnenberg. This essay describes the author's long relationship with the poet, Ted Hughes. The second essay "Edward Said, Dead At 67" is written by Alexander Cockburn, and it's basically a memorial from the author to his friend.

Editors Alexander Cockburn and Jeffrey St Clair also include their list of the 'Best Books of the 20th Century.' Some of the titles are unknown to me, so there's plenty of follow-up for me here, and I love getting these sorts of tips. "Serpents in the Garden" is an immensely enjoyable read, and I recommend it--displacedhuman