No Passion Spent: Essays 1978-1995

I reviewed this book for Publisher's Weekly back in '96, and I still give Steiner high marks for the essays collected in this edition. The previous reviewer is obviously no fan of Steiner's work, and I'll warrant that s/he doesn't know much about Steiner's legacy of thought. Steiner has never made any secret of being an elitist, and that's perhaps what is so refreshing about these essays--that they run counter to the current flood of egalitarian ideals that Steiner (and many others) believes lead often to a culture by and for the lowest common denominator. He has a point, and a good one, even if you're unlikely to agree with it (and, yes, he's especially hard on American culture). Yet keep in mind that Steiner's province is art, and that which produces great art doesn't necessarily produce a great society, or even the happiest of people. Still, any thoughtful person who does not become acquainted with George Steiner will be missing out on one of the great intellectual pleasures of the 20th century.

One need not agree with Steiner to find the essays erudite and provocative. What greater use of a book than to provide stimulus for ruminations on one's own values and those of the culture?