Susan Sontag

Susan Sontag was, to put it mildly, a bit of a polymath. Novelist, essayist, filmmaker, theater director, and — perhaps most importantly for our purposes — professional intellectual, she seemingly did it all. And she did it all with a seriousness that made others feel, well, less serious.

Born Susan Rosenblatt in New York City, her father died young and her mother remarried a man named Sontag, whose name Susan then took. While her Jewish heritage was certainly present, Sontag herself wasn't particularly observant. Her identity was more aligned with the grand intellectual traditions of Europe than with synagogue bake sales.

Sontag's work, from "Against Interpretation" to "Illness as Metaphor," challenged conventional thinking and often sparked considerable debate. She was never one to shy away from controversy, or from a bold pronouncement, making her a darling of the literary world and a frequent target for critics. Such is the price of being fiercely intelligent and having opinions.

For her ardent fans, Sontag was a prophet. For her detractors, she was pretentious. For us, she was a fascinating case study in how one can be deeply shaped by, yet outwardly detached from, their origins, all while producing a body of work that continues to resonate and provoke.