The Writer's Almanac from Friday, June 28, 2013 "Fireside" by Seamus Heaney, from Selected Poems 1966-1996. © Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1998. ORIGINAL TEXT AND AUDIO - 2013 It's the birthday of philosopher and writer Jean-Jacques Rousseau, born on this day in Geneva (1712). In 1749, the Academy of Dijon sponsored an essay contest, and the question was: "Has the revival of the arts and sciences done more to corrupt or to purify morals?" Rousseau was delighted by the question, and he said that his head was so full of ideas he was unable to breathe. He said: "And that is how I became a writer almost against my will. ... The remainder of my life and all my subsequent misfortunes were the inevitable result of this moment of aberration." He was normally a lazy man, but he worked feverishly on his essay, "A Discourse on the Arts and Sciences." He argued that the advances of science and art had been harmful to humanity by consolidating power in the hands of governments and creating an atmosphere of competition and fear between citizens. His essay won first prize, and he went on to write many more philosophical works, including his most famous,
Thank you for including “The Lottery “— such a hugely important story. I wish you could have included a link to it as well (as I’m surprised my husband doesn’t remember this story and I would like to read it to him). A summary doesn’t do it justice.
Thank you for including “The Lottery “— such a hugely important story. I wish you could have included a link to it as well (as I’m surprised my husband doesn’t remember this story and I would like to read it to him). A summary doesn’t do it justice.