author
Albert Jay Nock
1870–1945
A sharp, skeptical essayist of the early 20th century, this American writer is best remembered for his fierce criticism of the modern state and his faith in individual independence. His work blends social commentary, cultural criticism, and a dry, memorable wit.
1 Audiobook
The Myth of a Guilty Nation
by Albert Jay Nock
About the author
Born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, in 1870, Albert Jay Nock became an influential American author, editor, and social critic. He studied at St. Stephen’s College and was also ordained in the Episcopal Church, though he later turned away from the ministry and toward writing and public debate.
Nock built his reputation through journalism and essays, serving as an editor at The Freeman and writing for major publications including The Nation. He wrote on politics, education, economics, and culture, and became closely associated with individualist and anti-statist ideas. Among his best-known books are Memoirs of a Superfluous Man and Our Enemy, the State, works that helped shape later libertarian and conservative thought.
Even readers who disagree with him often find him hard to ignore. His prose is elegant, combative, and deeply skeptical of mass politics, which gives his writing a distinctive voice that still feels lively decades after his death in 1945.