"It All Turns On Affection"
The Jefferson Lecture was established in 1972 by the National Endowment for the Humanities as an award "for distinguished intellectual achievement in the humanities." The first recipient was Lionel Trilling. Over the years, the award has gone to such people as Robert Penn Warren, Saul Bellow, Barbara Tuchman, Arthur Miller, and David McCullough.
This year the award went to the essayist Wendell Berry. He delivered the 2012 Jefferson Lecture at the Kennedy Center on April 23.
You can find the full text of his speech here.
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Thanks to Counterpunch for getting the word out.
I am amazed and delighted at how Wendell Berry can say so clearly and specifically what needs to be said, yet with no tone of rancor.
ReplyDeleteI am reminded of his fictional Jayber Crow, who is likewise able to see the great tragedy through clear eyes.