You might recall that I received a lovely selection of books this past Christmas. After reading The Good Lord Bird (which I previously recommended) and Tales from the Back Row (which after reading I do not) I chose Joseph Anton next.
This is not light reading by any stretch. I’ve been reading the book every night since February began and I won’t lie, I was happy to finally finish this tale. And yet.
What Joe endured for more than a decade because of his art is almost incomprehensible. I rarely mark up books, but one small piece that I read resonated so deeply I turned down the page to mark the spot AND highlighted the text…
“Compromise destroyed the compromiser and did not placate the uncompromising foe. You do not become a blackbird by painting your wings black, but like an oil-slicked gull you lost the power of flight. The greatest danger of the growing menace was that good men would commit intellectual suicide and call it peace. Good men would give in to fear and call it respect.” Salman Rushdie – A Memoir: Joseph Anton
The Grey Goddess 
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