Persecution and the Art of Writing

“The locus classicus of Strauss’s theory of ‘esoteric writing,’ which he . . . emphatically exemplifies in three brilliant and influential interpretations.” —Nathan Tarcov, University of Chicago The essays collected in  Persecution and the Art of Writing  all deal with one problem—the relation between philosophy and politics. Here, Strauss sets forth the thesis that many philosophers, especially political philosophers, have reacted to the threat of persecution by disguising their most