author
Benjamin Muse
1898–1986
A Virginia journalist, public thinker, and former diplomat, he became known for writing plainly and bravely about race, politics, and public life in the American South. His work brings together a reporter’s eye, a reformer’s conscience, and the experience of a man who had seen war and government up close.
1 Audiobook
About the author
Born in Durham, North Carolina, in 1898, Benjamin Muse lived a remarkably varied life: he studied at Trinity College and George Washington University, served in World War I under the British flag, and later spent years in the U.S. diplomatic service. He also worked as a lawyer, farmer, newspaper publisher, and politician in Virginia.
Muse is especially remembered as a writer and columnist who spoke out against segregation and Virginia's policy of Massive Resistance during the civil rights era. As a white Southern liberal writing for a broad public audience, he argued for desegregation and a more honest, humane politics, which made him an important voice in mid-20th-century Virginia.
As an author, his books drew on both his public life and his personal experience, including war, government, and social change. That range gives his writing an unusual mix of firsthand history and clear-eyed commentary, making it valuable for listeners interested in the politics and moral struggles of the modern South.