Joe Sobran was the most talented writer at National Review when I was a young reader of the magazine. I was privileged to have hosted him as a speaker in my days at Accuracy in Academia. Moderating his debate with Dinesh D'Souza was one of the highlights of my time in Washington, DC. He spoke to our student audiences at Princeton, the University of Michigan, and the University of Chicago, where, conspicuously, William F. Buckley was also on the conference schedule. Though the disintigration of Sobran's relationship with Buckley has been written about ad infinitum, few know that the two men actually mended fences in Buckley's final years. My event had nothing to do with this (they never crossed paths there), though both men were aware of the other's presence at the conference.
For the uninitiated, Sobran worked at National Review for more than two decades, and served as a senior editor for almost as long. He penned a nationally-syndicated column for several decades, and up until a few years ago oversaw his own newsletter, "Sobran's." The Free Press published his book, "Alias Shakespeare" (on one of his many hobby horses!), in 1997. People have described his philosophy as paleoconservative. But other than an alienation from mainstream conservatism he didn't have a whole lot in common with paleocons. He was more of a Catholic anarchist, or, as he described himself, a "reactionary utopian."
Sobran was always a gentleman, always gracious in dealing with students, always cheerful, and always full of surprises. When I scored C-SPAN for a summer conference I had organized at American University, a breathless, sweat-drenched Sobran stumbled in the auditorium with about a minute to spare before showtime. The last time that I saw him was for lunch in 2004. As we walked down the street in the Clarendon section of Arlington, Virginia, where many good-looking young women also walk, he out of nowhere injected: "Breasts." Come again? He explained that God had created them to torment him. A minute later he insisted he needed a new gerbil (What?!), and we walked to a petstore. It was surreal. A fellow young conservative once relayed the story of Sobran spotting him on the street carrying several cases of beer to a conference. Since Joe was the keynote speaker, he offered to help carry the beer. As Sobran hauled a couple of cases, he cracked open a beer and drank it crossing the street in downtown Washington. It is such randomness that made him such an individual.
His judgment, as evidenced by some of the unsavory associations he kept (which ultimately made me rethink my organization's association with Joe) and the hobby-horses he rode, was suspect. But his talent as a writer was not. Just read his child-rearing advice for a taste of how great of a writer he was.
I believe he leaves five kids, numerous grandchildren, many devoted friends (especially Fran Griffin), and a whole host of Sobrans back in Ypsilanti, Michigan (or some place nearby). He takes with him an uncanny knowledge of Shakespeare, the likes of which I have not elsewhere encountered (Maybe Joe was the real Shakespeare).
Joe never appeared as the picture of health. He smoked the cheapest cigars (Dutchmasters!), developed diabetes, and suffered from numerous ailments in his final years. He died Thursday at the age of 64. Michael Joseph Sobran, rest in peace.
Great tribute, Dan.
Joe was a kind man and an intellectual giant. And a huge influence on the development of my own political philosophy. (See my "'The Reluctant Anarchist,' the Constitution, and the Great Commission")
Thanks for this post, Dan. He will be missed.
My apologies, wrong link address. Should have been http://eric.langborgh.com/?p=1171
I encourage the reading of Eric's article. http://eric.langborgh.com/?p=1171 It's really excellent. For those that don't know, Eric worked with me for several years at AIA, and was also an organizer of several of the conferences referenced in the above post. They were really intellectually free-wheeling, with a whole host of conservatives of various outlooks giving the political philosophy an accent of intelligence that it all too often lacks today.
Anarcho-capitalists only get it half-right. They smugly assert the irrelevance of de facto monopolies, viciously defend corporations (which are protected by big government and creatures of big government) and wasterful, inefficient big government patent protections, and claim that individuals have an infinite claim to property as long as it was acquired legally. The sad joke they fail to recognize is that their precious conception of property rights can only be defended by communities, public enterprise, i.e. The Government.
In short, they love big government when it protects private tyrannies and facilitates a societal regression into feudal bondage, but hate community and public enterprise when it takes care of children and the elderly.
Always entertaining.
Thank you, Dan. Those were great years.
Mr. Sobran was my patient at the Fairfax Nursing Center. He was a sweet, caring, and very intelligent man. He will be missed by many of us. May you rest in peace Michael!
books by Dan Flynn
Joe Sobran was the most talented writer at National Review when I was a young reader of the magazine. I was privileged to have hosted him as a speaker in my days at Accuracy in Academia. Moderating his debate with Dinesh D'Souza was one of the highlights of my time in Washington, DC. He spoke to our student audiences at Princeton, the University of Michigan, and the University of Chicago, where, conspicuously, William F. Buckley was also on the conference schedule. Though the disintigration of Sobran's relationship with Buckley has been written about ad infinitum, few know that the two men actually mended fences in Buckley's final years. My event had nothing to do with this (they never crossed paths there), though both men were aware of the other's presence at the conference.
For the uninitiated, Sobran worked at National Review for more than two decades, and served as a senior editor for almost as long. He penned a nationally-syndicated column for several decades, and up until a few years ago oversaw his own newsletter, "Sobran's." The Free Press published his book, "Alias Shakespeare" (on one of his many hobby horses!), in 1997. People have described his philosophy as paleoconservative. But other than an alienation from mainstream conservatism he didn't have a whole lot in common with paleocons. He was more of a Catholic anarchist, or, as he described himself, a "reactionary utopian."
Sobran was always a gentleman, always gracious in dealing with students, always cheerful, and always full of surprises. When I scored C-SPAN for a summer conference I had organized at American University, a breathless, sweat-drenched Sobran stumbled in the auditorium with about a minute to spare before showtime. The last time that I saw him was for lunch in 2004. As we walked down the street in the Clarendon section of Arlington, Virginia, where many good-looking young women also walk, he out of nowhere injected: "Breasts." Come again? He explained that God had created them to torment him. A minute later he insisted he needed a new gerbil (What?!), and we walked to a petstore. It was surreal. A fellow young conservative once relayed the story of Sobran spotting him on the street carrying several cases of beer to a conference. Since Joe was the keynote speaker, he offered to help carry the beer. As Sobran hauled a couple of cases, he cracked open a beer and drank it crossing the street in downtown Washington. It is such randomness that made him such an individual.
His judgment, as evidenced by some of the unsavory associations he kept (which ultimately made me rethink my organization's association with Joe) and the hobby-horses he rode, was suspect. But his talent as a writer was not. Just read his child-rearing advice for a taste of how great of a writer he was.
I believe he leaves five kids, numerous grandchildren, many devoted friends (especially Fran Griffin), and a whole host of Sobrans back in Ypsilanti, Michigan (or some place nearby). He takes with him an uncanny knowledge of Shakespeare, the likes of which I have not elsewhere encountered (Maybe Joe was the real Shakespeare).
Joe never appeared as the picture of health. He smoked the cheapest cigars (Dutchmasters!), developed diabetes, and suffered from numerous ailments in his final years. He died Thursday at the age of 64. Michael Joseph Sobran, rest in peace.
Great tribute, Dan.
Joe was a kind man and an intellectual giant. And a huge influence on the development of my own political philosophy. (See my "'The Reluctant Anarchist,' the Constitution, and the Great Commission")
Thanks for this post, Dan. He will be missed.
My apologies, wrong link address. Should have been http://eric.langborgh.com/?p=1171
I encourage the reading of Eric's article. http://eric.langborgh.com/?p=1171 It's really excellent. For those that don't know, Eric worked with me for several years at AIA, and was also an organizer of several of the conferences referenced in the above post. They were really intellectually free-wheeling, with a whole host of conservatives of various outlooks giving the political philosophy an accent of intelligence that it all too often lacks today.
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