Philip Wolmuth

There is not much text here to read; it is mostly photographs of speakers and their hecklers, accompanied by their opinions. And what a gamut of opinions! The good, the bad, and the ugly. This book is a celebration of free speech. Of uncensored ideas. Of face-to-face discussion and argument. It is entirely nonjudgmental. Some of these speakers come across as crackpots. Others make more sense than the so-called experts on TV. I went to Speakers’ Corner years ago and got some ideas that made their way into a book I wrote.

Speakers’ Corner is “a sort of outdoor television,” says one speaker. You change channels by wandering away. Another speaker insists that Jesus must have been black because despite his many talents, “he still couldn’t get a proper job.” Another speaker quotes Karl Marx, who was a speaker at Speakers’ Corner in the 19th century.

Some of these speakers represent political parties, churches, or other organizations. Others represent only themselves.

One of the speakers featured in this book was a dear friend of mine, now deceased. He was a Christian who never went to church on Sundays. Instead he went to Speakers’ Corner—that was his church. He went to a real church during the week, when it was feeding the homeless. A good man!

The photos are black-and-white on glossy paper. Many are full-page in size. They capture the spirit and intensity of the place.… (més)