A 50-year Protest For Good Writing

Book2Book Thursday 02 Oct 2014

It's hard to remember that The New York Review of Books was once a young upstart. 
Since its very first issue in February, 1963—Susan Sontag, Gore Vidal, and W. H. Auden were among many all-star contributors—the magazine has been a revered venue for essays, book reviews, and political reportage. Still, Robert Silvers, the paper's legendary founding editor, told me that the Review's success was never a sure thing—it took an essay by Elizabeth Hardwick, and a citywide newspaper strike, to create a once-in-a-generation opportunity. 
In our conversation for this series, Silvers discussed his vision for the paper, the importance of editorial freedom, and the central place of book reviews within our broader culture of ideas.


The Atlantic