Persecution and the Art of Writing

Persecution and the Art of Writing, published in 1952 by the Free Press, is a book of collected articles written by Leo Strauss. The book contains five previously published essays, many of which were significantly altered by Strauss from their original publication:

1. Introduction
2. Persecution and the Art of Writing
3. The Literary Character of the Guide to the Perplexed
4. The Law of Reason in the Kuzari
5. How to Study Spinoza's Theologico-Political Treatise

The general theme of the book is the relationship between politics and philosophy. The thesis of the book is that many ancient and early modern political philosophers, in order to avoid persecution, hid their most heterodox ideas within their texts.