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Stanley Crouch, Notes of a Hanging Judge The title 'Notes of a Hanging Judge'aptly sums up this book of essays and reviews by Stanley Crouch. Crouch took the title froma pirate turned judge who would gleefully hang his former compatriots for piracy. In his collection of works, mainly from his days as a staff writer at the Village Voice in the 70s and 80s, Crouch takes to task what he sees as the failures of the civil rights movement. He uses tight prose and acid humor to tear at the black nationalist movement, Jesse Jackson and even filmakers (Spike Lee, who he calls 'a minaturist in more than size, his vision is small and lacks subtelty.' Ultimately, Crouch says that his book is about the 'Age of Redifinition', where the roles or race, racism, sexism and secual orientation are redifined. Stanley Crouch can be best understood as a protege of Albert Murray, the iconic figure that took on Black Power and subsequent definitions of 'blackness.' Their relationship both professionally and personally fostered a style in Crouch that both imitates Murray's style and emulates his viewpoint. But unlike Murray, most of Crouch's work was done in weekly journalism. The reporting gives his work immediacy. But the freshness of his reportage lends a dated feel to some of his work and much of it seems less timeless than Murray's. Crouch's tenure at the Village Voice is also important because it exposed him to ideas he might not have worked with. Crouch's exploration of the Gay and Feminist movements explicitly shaped his opinions and material. Crouch's critics frequently criticize his personality and his work in the same breadth. They go hand in hand. Some say his work is too judgmental and skewed towards skewering the left. His caustic approach in his writing is certainly not for the faint of heart. Notes of a Hanging judge is a interesting portrait into the mind of a contrarian. The often superb writing can be overpowered by a sometimes too judgmental outlook. MORE: Robert Boynton's profile of Crouch in the New Yorker For some of Crouch's more recent work Crouch's columns in Slate The Uber link page of Crouch |
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