Author: Joseph Bottum

Joseph Bottum (1959–) is an American poet, essayist, and author. Bottum graduated from Georgetown with his B.A. and from Boston College with a Ph.D. in Medieval Philosophy. He formerly served as editor of First Things magazine and literary editor of the Weekly Standard, where he remains a contributing editor. His writing has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Commentary, The Washington Post, and The Atlantic. Aside from his written work, Bottum serves as a political commentator, appearing on BBC, NBC’s Meet the Press, and PBS Newshour. Most recently, he published An Anxious Age: The Post-Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of America in 2014.

Wise Guy

Joseph Bottum
This 2012 Christmas tale by essayist and fiction writer Joseph Bottum (b. 1959) is another retelling of the story of the Wise Men—in particular, that of Balthasar, who brought the gift of myrrh to the infant Jesus