I’ve just discovered this captivating and beautifully illustrated book. Have you heard of it? It’s a collection of essays from The New Yorker archives which represents a fascinating decade of change, and also a time many critics say the magazine came of age. Divided into seven sections – The War, American Scenes, Postwar, Character Studies: cinema, books, theatre, art and architecture, musical events, feminine fashions, Poetry and Fiction – it offers 700 pages packed with pieces of reportage, reviews of books, movies and short stories, by some of the 20th century’s greatest artists including Nabokov, EB White, and Orwell to name a few.
One of my favourite essays is AJ Leibling’s ‘Cross-Channel Trip (On D Day)’ in Part One: The War. I love the immediacy of the writing which takes me straight into the action and into the landing crafts as they approach the beaches in Normandy under heavy fire. At the same time, I can’t quite believe what I’m reading.
Just as important as the choice of essays, are the beautiful illustrations by Italian visual artist, Simone Massoni, which really capture the essence of this collection and the age it reflects.
Have you read it? What was your favourite essay?
You can buy the book, here and find out more about Simone and his work for The New Yorker, here.
(Photos via Simone Massoni)
3 Comments
We are a group of volunteers and starting a new scheme in our community.
Your web site offered us with valuable info to work on. You’ve done a formidable job and our whole community
will be grateful to you.
First off I would like to say excellent blog! I had a quick question which I’d like to ask if
you do not mind. I was interested to know how you center yourself and clear your thoughts prior to writing.
I have had difficulty clearing my mind in getting my
thoughts out there. I do take pleasure in writing however it just
seems like the first 10 to 15 minutes are wasted simply just trying to figure
out how to begin. Any ideas or tips? Many thanks!
Thanks very nice blog!