Noonan flashback: Since the blogosphere is today collectively declaring Peggy Noonan the greatest writer ever, I thought I would link back to an essay she wrote in November, 1998,
for the magazine Forbes ASAP. When I first read the essay in 1998, I
found it disturbing and, frankly, very un-Noonan, as it was so starkly
foreboding. It was written at the height of economic boom times but had
a somberness that haunted me for months. (Great writing can do that.)
On the morning of September 11, 2001, I thought of Peggy Noonan’s
essay. I spent a couple of days tracking it down to see if it said what
I recalled it saying. It did. Start reading from Heading III (“if you’re in a good mood, stop reading here and go hug the kids and
relax and have a drink and a nice pointless conversation with your
spouse…”) and you’ll see why I think her skills soar, not only as a writer, but as a prophet.
