Three days after Studs Terkel’s death, the New York Times published a column by critic Edward Rothstein titled “An Appraisal: He Gave Voice to Many, Among Them Himself.” The piece is a striking instance of the low art of red-baiting disguised as high-minded criticism. It has been effectively countered as such by, among others, Victor Navasky, Howard Zinn, Roger Ebert and Andre Schiffrin. Yet I have continued to brood about it. I am moved to write about it now not because Terkel needs further defense against such petty sniping but because Rothstein’s essay, so clearly intended to diminish his achievements, has the ironic effect of illuminating them.

It is inevitable that the tsunami of praise and affection—of love—released by news of Terkel’s death would prompt reaction. And it is of course appropriate for a critic to scale back the superlatives and inquire into the precise nature of his achievement. Such scrutiny is especially warranted in this case, because the legend that celebrates Studs also obscures him. He was sharper, edgier and more complicated than the statue that is hardening around him.