The Devil's Pleasure Palace by Michael Walsh: A Review

What in the world has been happening to our America; how – and why – did we become a crippled republic? As usual, the answers may be found in verifiable history. Surprisingly, the most important slice of history necessary to grasp America's state of diminished affairs has been largely unreported.

Until now. The Devil's Pleasure Palace fills the aforementioned historical void. For those of us whom study history with passion, it is a treasure trove of original analysis and insight; not only for its richness of content, but in the manner of presentation as well: It is positively brilliant, and a compelling read.

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Michael Walsh is – perhaps, quite uniquely – qualified to explore the origins of a “culture war” being waged against America; a pernicious, insidious, even childish attempt to overthrow our existing civil society from within by assailing the institutions providing our traditional cultural fabric necessary for the continuance of a Constitutional Republic as set forth by the Founders and Framers.

The digital age is a communications boon, but not without drawbacks; even the intellectually flaccid have often become “legends in their own mind,” as publishing platforms grew to pervasiveness. By contrast, Michael Walsh has lived his life in a scholarly fashion. He was schooled in the classics (both music and literature), is an accomplished musician, fluent in several languages, along with being an award-winning Time Magazine classical music critic and award-winning author. Walsh immersed himself in the creative disciplines from an early age; he is – thankfully – not just a johnny-come-lately writer on the instrumentally important topics of culture, religion, politics, art, and history: precisely why the Devil's Pleasure Palace is not mundane. It is, rather, exceptional in every imaginable respect. It's sad to find such a seminal work as The Devil's Pleasure Place disparaged by even a single one-star Amazon review, or misrepresented by those without the patience or persistence to contemplate what it has to offer; just as it is sad to see any work of art defiled by those with blinders firmly attached. Walsh frequently offers more cogent analysis in a single paragraph than other writers of the cultural genre muster in an entire chapter: at times, one must pause from reading and ponder the implications and revelations of Walsh's erudite perceptions. As with most things in life, what we truly find worth having is what we also consider worth working and waiting for: So it is with honest knowledge.

Rather than being a pro-Christian screed, Walsh leaves open theological doors by establishing early on that most religions have plenty in common with the Western ur-Narrative reflected in art and culture. As America is – and always was, from its founding – a Judeo-Christian nation, naturally Walsh would explore that theological aspect in considerable depth. His focus, however, is on ethereal possibilities. 
To correct the mistakes of history, we must understand them. That Walsh has tackled a formidable yet critically important task of explaining not only how and why America arrived at our tenuous station upon the post-modern cultural cliff (and how to handle it) with succinctness and an uncanny wit is a testimony to the depth of his scholarly capabilities. It also signals respect for reader's time and effort. The Devil's Pleasure Palace is one of the most important books you'll read. It is, no doubt, a classic. © Sandy Stringfellow/2015