The New York Review of Books and Me
The New York Review of Books and Me
When Robert Silvers was the editor of the NYRB I wrote regularly for them. I must have written a dozen pieces for the magazine over a ten-year period. If anything, I felt over-employed by them. I got on well with Bob and looked forward to his many editorial phone calls; I also ran into him around town. We were friends. He treated me well. When he died, however, six or seven years ago, I stopped receiving requests to write from the new editors. I don’t know why; no one ever explained. I did write to ask whether my cancellation had anything to do with it and was assured that this was not so. I was told that it was simply a matter of their making too many commitments, with the implication that invitations would resume. They have not. What was once a good working relationship has devolved into a non-relationship. Meanwhile the magazine has seemed to me to have moved in a pronounced DEI direction, so much so that I cancelled my subscription to it and don’t even follow it anymore. What infuriates me is that the new editors evidently feel no obligation to continue the relationship the magazine once had with me without giving any explanation. I don’t believe their excuse about over-commitment: I strongly suspect that my cancellation was and is a factor, and that they have purposely pulled away from publishing academic philosophy as they did under Bob Silvers. No doubt they believe they are taking the high moral and intellectual ground in so doing, but nothing could be further from the truth. This is just one example of the cultural and moral degradation that has overtaken this country, stemming from the Left.
They are obsolete, ideologically sold and unreadable these days… IMHO you are better off with them ghosting you.
It’s true that I have no wish to write for them anymore, but that doesn’t lessen my disapproval of their actions. They have ruined a great institution.
I have a number of your book-reviews for the NYRB in top drawer. Re-read them frequently.They are nothing if not critical but never spiteful. Some offer an engaging introduction to a particular philosophical topic.
That is an accurate assessment, and the same goes for all my reviews. I cannot say the same for all reviews of me.