Christopher Lasch, Plain Writing, and Democracy

In 1980, an academic historian turned social critic won the National Book Award with his New York Times bestselling book, The Culture of Narcissism. The success of the book came as a surprise to many, and none less so than its author, Christopher Lasch. Yet, if we zoom out, it’s not so hard to see why Lasch remains a notable thinker decades after his death. For one, the topic clearly struck a nerve in millions of readers—including President Jimmy Carter, who invited Lasch to Camp David for a private conversation (although Carter, to Lasch’s chagrin, misinterpreted the book). Perhaps just as important was Lasch’s simple yet elegant prose—his influence as a stylist being equally deserving of recognition as his legacy as one of America’s foremost 20th-century social critics.