Let the Devil Speak

Let the Devil Speak: Articles, Essays, and Incitements is Steven Hart’s first essay collection. 

These combative essays explore the terrain where history, culture and politics meet — and ignite. Topics include Randy Newman’s controversial album Good Old Boys, the American “culture wars,” how George Lucas pillaged literary science fiction for his Star Wars films, the careers of Jacob Bronowski, Kenneth Fearing and Gore Vidal, and Charles Mingus’ collaboration with Jean Shepherd.

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“Steven Hart wields a straight-razor for a pen. His subtle insights, especially on the bloody crossroads where race and music meet — the place where Robert Johnson met the devil — mark him a true American essayist.” Rick Perlstein, New York Times bestselling author of Nixonland: The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of America and The Invisible Bridge: The Fall of Nixon and the Rise of Reagan.

“Steven Hart is an exemplary cultural critic. He’s assiduous in his sleuthing through history, alert in his observations, sharply intelligent in his reach, and clear in his prose. His linking of america’s past and its music — between what went down and what was laid down — is acute, compelling, responsive and fresh.” Michael Gray, author of Hand Me My Travelin’ Shoes – In Search of Blind Willie McTell and Song & Dance Man: The Art of Bob Dylan.