Martin Schneider writes:
This batch seems somewhat “urgent” to me, in a good way. Have a look.
(This content is taken directly from the left nav bar on the magazine’s website.)
George Packer discovers George Orwell was a loving father.
Evan Osnos mourns the Chicago Tribune‘s foreign bureaus.
Steve Coll thinks the Treasury’s plan does what’s politically possible, not what’s necessary.
James Surowiecki challenges Joseph Stiglitz’s distortions of the Geithner plan.
Hendrik Hertzberg applauds another Bill O’Reilly target.
The Front Row responds to A. O. Scott.
News Desk: Signs of progress, the President and the Pope.
Sasha Frere-Jones hosts a roundtable about Haitian music.
The Book Bench: If Samuel Beckett used Twitter, Bulgaria’s favorite book.
The Cartoon Lounge: North by Northeast, reports of nose skirts from SXSW.
Goings On: The New York Dolls‘ “Cause I Sez So,” second-generation rock drummers.
Author Archives: Martin
True! Twitterers Tout, Twit “Tweedy” Weekly
Martin Schneider writes:
One of two things will happen: Either Twitter will gain sufficient acceptance that nobody will bother being annoyed it, or it’ll stop being used enough to warrant any attention at all. In the meantime, some messages:
mldrabenstott @genmarshall A weekly New Yorker equals 6-8 monthly mags. Quality, not quantity.
ljhliesl I just put a lot of staples through the New Yorker so Blake could take them out again. He is a staple-remover and a confetti-maker.
youngamerican Can anyone deny that for the last two or three months, this has been the best part of each and every New Yorker? http://bit.ly/ofuim
BananaEsq The New Yorker consistently misuses the word “insure.” Please stop.
splendid Weird: Marina showed 8-sec clip of artist performing by getting rifle shot in arm; get home, open New Yorker, see article about that artist
guttersniper Going to the John Updike tribute at the NYPL tonight. Expecting tweed.
MitMoi “Editing is the same as quarreling with writers – same thing exactly” Harold Ross: American Writer, New Yorker founder
LaurenProctor32 Lauren Collins’ article in this week’s New Yorker is wonderfully well written. She’ll always be a favorite. [I think this was referring to the article about Bill Cunningham.]
dbrauer The New Yorker’s partisan cover fetish has become boring.
mrcornie Reading short story in 3/23 New Yorker & it talks of Facebook & Wii. Fascinated when new-ish pop culture phenoms start showing up in my lit.
suzannegangi Asked w/utmost respect: How old is Mr. John McPhee, esteemed author & “New Yorker” contributor? He made la crosse(!) interesting (3/23 NYer) [I wrote back, informing her that McPhee had turned 78 about two weeks earlier.]
VelocityWong My fave part of the New Yorker’s Burris piece is how almost every mention of an IL pol has a parenthetical epilogue about their crimes.
What’s in This Week’s New Yorker: 03.30.09
Martin Schneider writes:
A new issue of The New Yorker comes out tomorrow. Here is a description of its contents.
Atul Gawande examines the use of prolonged solitary confinement in our nation’s prisons, and concludes that whether one is serving time at a supermax prison or being held in a cell in Beirut, Hanoi, or Guantánamo Bay, “all human beings experience isolation as torture.”
Evan Osnos profiles Cheung Yan, the head of Nine Dragons Paper, China’s largest paper manufacturer, and explores how the fortunes of the company that was once the largest exporter, by volume, of freight from the United States fell to the point “that the company’s market value was less than half the value of its own phalanx of paper machines.”
David Owen writes about how bad economic times can be good for the environment.
James Surowiecki responds to Europe’s conservative reaction to the economic crisis.
David Sedaris recounts stories from his latest book tour.
Woody Allen envisions revenge on Bernie Madoff.
Alec Wilkinson profiles Chris Ferguson, one of the most successful and strategic poker pros.
John Lahr reviews West Side Story and God of Carnage.
Hilton Als explores depictions of race and prejudice in Tracey Scott Wilson’s The Good Negro.
Anthony Lane examines the life and letters of Samuel Beckett.
James Wood considers paranoid schizophrenia in John Wray’s new novel Lowboy.
Alex Ross attends Il Trovatore and La Sonnambula at the Metropolitan Opera.
Paul Goldberger revisits the work of the architect Andrea Palladio.
Nancy Franklin reviews the new television drama Kings.
David Denby reviews Duplicity and Hunger.
There is a short story by Craig Raine.
New Yorker Blog Roundup: 03.21.09
Martin Schneider writes:
Last week, a reader named Sandra wrote in to praise Ben Greenman’s flight of fancy: “This fake American Idol roundup is one of the best things I have ever read. Stunning.” Thanks for the alert, Sandra—we can always use them!
(This content is taken directly from the left nav bar on the magazine’s website.)
Steve Coll feels bureaucracy nostalgia.
James Surowiecki watches a Domino’s commercial, quotes Lenin.
George Packer looks at the Florida real estate crash…of 1929.
The Front Row: Richard Brody explains why A. O. Scott is wrong about neo-neorealism.
Elizabeth Kolbert on who’s donating to climate-change deniers.
Evan Osnos on Ralph Macchio and the Beijing dance-fight scene.
News Desk: The White House kitchen garden.
Hendrik Hertzberg on why Paul Krugman is right about Europe’s economy.
Sasha Frere-Jones recommends turning back to bass this weekend.
The Book Bench: Ann Goldstein remembers John Updike, a Scottish Armada.
The Cartoon Lounge: Dispatches from SXSW.
Goings On: American Idol does Hair, a quarter-century of Atomic Records.
Ask the Author: Submit a question to Keith Gessen about the Politkovskaya murder trial.
The Economist Presents “View of the World from … Chang’an Street”?
Martin Schneider writes:
Twitter user Michael Aphibal (michaelaphibal) makes an astute point about this week’s cover of The Economist:
Look at the cover of #TheEconomist (3/21-27/2009) The New Yorker sued Columbia Pic for imitating something similar http://tinyurl.com/2q2ybk
Good point, Michael! I’d forgotten all about Steinberg v. Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. (Steinberg won the case.)
So many questions! Does a news organization have more latitude on copyright infringement than a movie studio? (I’d wager yes.) Does it matter that The Economist operates out of Great Britain? Can the Saul Steinberg estate sue a British entity? (Is it inclined to?) Anyone who has seen the issue, do they credit Steinberg anywhere?
And finally, what do you think of the cover? Do you think it’s clever?
Update: Strange Maps supplies a larger view, in which one can see (as the post points out) that the image contains a billboard on the Imperial Palace with the following text: “With Apologies to Steinberg and The New Yorker.” So Steinberg is credited. Thanks to Strange Maps for the informative post.
Best of the 03.23.09 Issue: Tantrum
Martin Schneider writes:
Barry Blitt’s vision of eight wailing Limbaughs was on the cover. Features included Jeffrey Toobin’s look at Roland Burris, Keith Gessen’s report on the Politkovskaya murder trial, and John McPhee’s article on lacrosse.
More to come!
Your Guide to the New Yorker’s AMSE Nominees
Martin Schneider writes:
Today we present the New Yorker nominees for the National Magazine Awards in a way that is easier to peruse, followed by some comments about the picks.
GENERAL EXCELLENCE, Circulation 1,000,000 – 2,000,000
The New Yorker was nominated for the issues of February 11 & 18, 2008; May 26, 2008; and November 17, 2008.
REPORTING: Ryan Lizza on how Chicago shaped Barack Obama: “Making It,” July 21, 2008.
FEATURE WRITING: Nick Paumgarten on the lives of elevators: “Up and Then Down,” April 21, 2008
ESSAYS: Roger Rosenblatt on death and family: “Making Toast,” December 15, 2008
COLUMNS and COMMENTARY: Hendrik Hertzberg, Comments on Barack Obama’s visit abroad (“Foreigners,” August 4, 2008), on McCain supporters calling Obama a socialist (“Like, Socialism,” November 3, 2008), and on the passing of Proposition 8 in California (“Eight is Enough,” December 1, 2008)
REVIEWS and CRITICISM: James Wood, Books, on Richard Price and the art of dialogue (“Say What?,” April 7, 2008), on Marilynne Robinson and religion (“The Homecoming,” September 8, 2008), and on the life of V.S. Naipaul (“Wounder and Wounded,” December 1, 2008)
FICTION: Annie Proulx, “Them Old Cowboy Songs,” May 5, 2008; Aleksandar Hemon, “The Noble Truths of Suffering,” September 22, 2008; Roberto Bolaño, “Clara,” August 4, 2008; Joshua Ferris, “The Dinner Party,” August 11, 2008
LEISURE INTERESTS: Patricia Marx, On and Off the Avenue, on shopping in China (“Buy Shanghai!” July 21, 2008), on buying shoes in New York (“Sole Sisters,” September 1, 2008), and on going discount (“The Price is Right,” December 8, 2008)
PHOTO PORTFOLIO: Platon, photographs of the men and women who volunteered to serve in Iraq and Afghanistan, and their families: “Service,” September 29, 2008
It’s a resonant bunch of nominees, ones that found their way into our posts a few times, not to mention our lives. We mentioned Ryan Lizza’s article on Obama’s Chicago years here. I didn’t write about it, but at the New Yorker Festival in 2008, ASME nominee James Wood spoke at length about the nuances of ASME nominee Hendrik Hertzberg’s August 4, 2008, column about Obama’s trip abroad. We discussed Roger Rosenblatt’s essay here (Jonathan and I loved it; Benjamin didn’t); The Platon portfolio made news when Gen. Colin Powell referenced it (without naming the photographer or the magazine) during his Meet the Press endorsement of Barack Obama; we discussed the event here.
Natasha Richardson in The New Yorker
Martin Schneider writes:
One day after the passing of Natasha Richardson, we present a list of her mentions in the magazine.
January 12, 1998: John Lahr, a showcase on Richardson
Digital Edition, website (abstract)
(Max Vadukul’s picture is magnificent.)
April 6, 1998: Nancy Franklin reviews “Cabaret”
Digital Edition, website (abstract)
May 18, 1998: Lillian Ross “Talk of the Town” item
Digital Edition, website (abstract)
April 5, 1999: John Lahr review of “Closer”
Digital Edition, website (abstract)
June 11, 2001: Dana Goodyear “Talk of the Town” item
Digital Edition, website
March 28, 2005: Lillian Ross “Talk of the Town” item
Digital Edition, website
May 9, 2005: John Lahr, review of “A Streetcar Named Desire”
Digital Edition, website
August 22, 2005: Anthony Lane, review of “Asylum”
Digital Edition, website
There’s also this interesting search of the archives, hits include a lot of random material from the “Goings On About Town” section. In a sense, you get a more accurate picture of her career as an actress by clicking on these (subscription to the magazine required).
New Yorker Blog Roundup: 03.19.09
Martin Schneider writes:
It’s about time we added to that Britney Spears keyword up there. Click it, you’ll see she’s come up before.
(This content is taken directly from the left nav bar on the magazine’s website.)
James Surowiecki overhears someone wishing they’d bought Citigroup.
Steve Coll considers Clay Shirky’s take on the collapse of newspapers.
Elizabeth Kolbert on who’s donating to climate-change deniers.
Evan Osnos marvels at which American movies make it to China.
News Desk: Pre-register for the New Yorker Summit.
Hendrik Hertzberg on why Paul Krugman is right about Europe’s economy.
The Front Row: Almodóvar’s latest, “Nightmare Alley.”
George Packer recommends a photography exhibit of the war in Congo.
Sasha Frere-Jones sees Britney Spears and feels like he’s at a theme restaurant.
The Book Bench: Millard Kaufman, collecting trees, Paul Muldoon to music.
The Cartoon Lounge: Dispatches from SXSW.
Goings On: The N.C.A.A. Men’s Basketball tournament, a John Lennon biopic.
Ask the Author: Submit a question to Keith Gessen about the Politkovskaya murder trial.
Call for Information / Opinion: Lyll Becerra de Jenkins
Martin Schneider writes:
On one of our most popular pages (it attracts a lot of search engine traffic), a reader called Arya Breton contributes a terrific bit of context for a mentioned writer:
Lyll Becerra de Jenkins was an extraordinary journalist, writer of fiction and teacher of writing. She wrote three books—The Honorable Prison, Celebrating the Hero, and So Loud a Silence. Her short stories, such as Tyranny, which later evolved into the prize-winning YA fiction, The Honorable Prison, were masterful. During a time when everyone from Latin America was writing in the style of the magical realists, she set herself apart. A resident of New Canaan, Connecticut, where she emigrated with her North American husband and five children, she seeped herself in the writing of the Brits and North Americans and developed her own distinct voice and approach to story-telling. Frances Kiernan of The New Yorker, who was her editor in the 70s, said her writing had “unique tension,” a flamenco style.
Sounds fascinating! I notice my public library has copies of The Honorable Prison and Celebrating the Hero. I’d be happy to spark a Lyll Becerra de Jenkins revival. If you are a fan or simply know something about her, please write in. And that includes you, Arya Breton!