Of the idea that one’s art can redeem one’s actions: this is a belief generally championed by those who have been moved, emotionally and intellectually, by a work, or works, of art. Are those who left behind no book, no painting, no poem, less worthy of compassionate hindsight? No. But so should artists not receive extra scrutiny because of their fame.
Anyway, here is Norman Manea’s essay in The New Republic, worthy of a read, despite its repugnant subtitle (none of the recent allegations against Milan Kundera have been proven or disproven, and they may never be).
