The Mencken House
Just back from Baltimore, where I visited the home of the great American journalist H.L. Mencken. In that common red brick house, the Sage of Baltimore convinced Darrow to take on the Scopes case, translated Nietzsche, coined “Bible Belt,” and wrote more than 10,000,000 words of infectious opinion, literary criticism, and fiction. The Mencken House is now rotting. His furniture deported, his ceilings crumbling, and his ghost long evicted, Mencken is a persona non grata in the city for which he entertained deep — and unrequited — affection. More on this in an upcoming article.
