EDGAR EVERTSON SALTUS, American writer known for his highly refined prose style was born on this date (d: 1921). His works paralleled those by European decadent authors such as Huysmans and Oscar Wilde. Saltus wrote two books of philosophy, The Philosophy of Disenchantment and The Anatomy of Negation. His Historia Amoris covers Plato’s Symposium and Sappho very nicely, thank you.

JOHN COWPER POWYS, British (English-Welsh) writer, lecturer, and philosopher was born (d: 1963). Powys' novels are legendary for their massive size and numerous characters. In addition to their scope Powys' books can be difficult because of their obscure references to Welsh culture and mythology. Other sources of difficulty for the contemporary reader are Powys' obsession with the occult and an animist world view which, among other things, endows inanimate objects like the sun in A Glastonbury Romance with souls and points of view.

The appeal of Powys eludes some, while others are deeply moved. Because of this, his challenging works have never been fashionable, yet they have won a loyal following nevertheless. They have been praised by talents as diverse as novelists Henry Miller, Robertson Davies, and classical pianist Glenn Gould. Film director John Boorman wrote in his autobiography that early in his career he contemplated making a movie based on "A Glastonbury Romance," a modern adaptation of the myth that Joseph of Arimathea possessed the Holy Grail. Powys wrote that the hero of the novel is autobiographical. Since the novel is about a young man who loves a male friend better than his lady love, what do we think Powys means by “autobiographical.?

"In such a toxic environment, the poor, the minorities, and the politically vulnerable populations will be the first to exhibit signs and symptoms of the deteriorating immunological picture. It is the canary-in-the-mines syndrome. When miners wanted to know if a particular mineshaft was safe from poisonous gases, they sent a canary in first. If the canary returned, the miners felt safe to go in. On our planet today, poor people, people of color, women and children, and gays and lesbians are the canaries (or sitting ducks if you prefer). Those who have any kind of privilege (gender, race, class, sexuality, age) are better able, for a time, to buffer and insulate themselves from the toxic environment — from AIDS, cancer, and other diseases. But not forever.

"There is also a moral and religious toxicity in reaction to so much upheaval, change, and worldwide political challenges. This phenomenon is called in many religions fundamentalism. In a century of increasing relativity in values, morality, and religion, fundamentalism provides absolutes and identifies the enemies. It is a kind of collective mental illness that includes obsessive thinking, tunnel vision, and functions much like other addictions." 

- Rev. Nancy Wilson, Our Tribe: Queer Folks, God, Jesus and the Bible