Hilton Kramer, RIP

Profound gratitude. There’s not much else to be said about the MH attitude toward the newly departed Hilton Kramer, founder of the favorite periodical of the MH household. Even the youngsters are caught reading it from time to time when they are home.

Unlike the daily Billings Gazette, which is easily divvied up each morning at breakfast (sports section for MH -- liking to start the day with the part with the highest percentage of factual truth; front section for the beloved,) the monthly New Criterion cannot be read simultaneously, not least because we would turn first to different essays (Jay Nordlinger’s music criticism for MH; lead article for the beloved.)

Fortunately, there is usually an easy solution -- the previous few issues are usually lying close to hand, and one has rarely read every word of those. So the first to the prize gets the literary Beaujolais Nouveau, while the loser gets a more aged vintage -- hardly a loss.

Readers are encouraged to browse through some initial laudatory pieces about Kramer.

And this old post from some years ago touches in passing on the deep MH respect for the New Criterion and specifically on the admiration due to Hilton Kramer. With deepest gratitude for his gift to those who care deeply about the arts and about our civilization -- rest in peace... memory eternal.