The 40s: The Story of a Decade (123 page)

JANET FLANNER
(1892–1978) became
The New Yorker
’s Paris correspondent in 1925 and wrote the Letter from Paris column until she retired in 1975. She is the author of
The Cubical City
(1926),
Conversation Pieces
(1942), and
Paris Was Yesterday
(1972).

WOLCOTT GIBBS
(1902–1958) joined
The New Yorker
in 1927 as a writer and editor. In 1940, he became the magazine’s drama critic, and in 1950 his play
Season in the Sun
(adapted from his earlier book about Fire Island bohemianism) became a Broadway hit.

PHILIP HAMBURGER
(1914–2004) was a staff writer at
The New Yorker
from 1939 until his death. He published eight collections of his work, including
Friends Talking in the Night
(1999) and
Matters of State
(2000), and was one of the few staff writers to work for all five of the magazine’s editors.

GEOFFREY T. HELLMAN
(1907–1977) began reporting for The Talk of the Town in 1929. His books include
How to Disappear for an Hour
(1947),
Mrs. de Peyster’s Parties
(1963),
The Smithsonian: Octopus on the Mall
(1966), and
Bankers, Bones and Beetles
(1969).

JOHN HERSEY
(1914–1993) sold his first article to
The New Yorker
in 1944 and published some two dozen nonfiction pieces over the next half century. “Hiroshima,” his account of six people during the first atomic attack, was the sole article to ever fill the entire editorial space of a single issue. In 1945 he won a Pulitzer Prize for his novel
A Bell for Adano.

LANGSTON HUGHES
(1902–1967) was an American poet and novelist, and a leader of the Harlem Renaissance. He published his first short story in
The New Yorker
in 1934. His books include
Fine Clothes to the Jew
(1927),
Not Without Laughter
(1930), and
Montage of a Dream Deferred
(1951).

SHIRLEY JACKSON
(1916–1965) contributed her first story to
The New Yorker
in 1944. She wrote six novels, including
The Haunting of Hill House
(1959), which was nominated for the National Book Award, as well as four short-story collections, two memoirs, and four children’s books.

RANDALL JARRELL
(1914–1965) was a poet and novelist who served as the United States poet laureate from 1956 to 1958. His books include
Pictures from an Institution
(1954) and
The Woman at the Washington Zoo
(1960), which won a National Book Award.

E. J. KAHN, JR.
(1916–1994), became a staff writer at
The New Yorker
in 1937 and remained at the magazine for five decades. He wrote twenty-seven books, including
The Separated People
(1968),
The American People
(1974), and
About The New Yorker and Me
(1979).

WELDON KEES
(1914–1955) was a poet, novelist, and painter whose books include
The Last Man
(1943) and
The Fall of the Magicians
(1947).

DAVID LARDNER
(1919–1944) wrote about theatre, film, and sports for
The New Yorker.
He was killed in Germany during the Second World War while reporting for the magazine.

JOHN LARDNER
(1912–1960), the brother of David Lardner, wrote a television-and-radio column, The Air, for the magazine for many years.

JILL LEPORE
, a staff writer and a professor of history at Harvard, has been contributing to
The New Yorker
since 2005. Her books include
The Name of War
, which won the Bancroft Prize in 1999,
New York Burning
(2005), and
Book of Ages
(2013).

A. J. LIEBLING
(1904–1963) joined the staff of
The New Yorker
in 1935. During the Second World War he was a correspondent in Europe and Africa. After the war he wrote the magazine’s Wayward Press column for many years. His books include
The Sweet Science
(1956),
The Earl of Louisiana
(1961), and
Between Meals
(1962).

LOIS LONG
(1901–1974) joined
The New Yorker
in 1925. She wrote the Feminine Fashions column from 1927 until 1968.

ARCHIBALD MACLEISH
(1892–1982) was a poet, playwright, and essayist and the Librarian of Congress between 1939 and 1944. His
Collected Poems: 1917–1952
won a Pulitzer Prize and a National Book Award in 1953.

LOUIS MACNEICE
(1907–1963) was a poet, playwright, and essayist whose books include
The Last Ditch
(1940),
Holes in the Sky
(1948), and
The Burning Perch
(1963).

WILLIAM MAXWELL
(1908–2000) was a novelist, short-story writer, essayist, and children’s author who served as the fiction editor for
The New Yorker
from 1936 to 1975. His books include
So Long, See You Tomorrow
, which won a National Book Award in 1982, and
All the Days and Nights: The Collected Stories
(1995).

JOHN MCCARTEN
(1911–1974) joined the staff of
The New Yorker
in 1934 and began reviewing films for the magazine in 1945.

CARSON MCCULLERS
(1917–1967) was a novelist and short-story writer. Her books include
The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter
(1940) and
The Member of the Wedding
(1946).

ST. CLAIR MCKELWAY
(1905–1980) joined the staff of
The New Yorker
in 1933. He was the magazine’s managing editor between 1936 and 1939, and he contributed numerous pieces throughout his long career. His books include
True Tales from the Annals of Crime & Rascality
(1950) and a posthumous collection,
Reporting at Wit’s End
(2010).

LOUIS MENAND
, a professor of English at Harvard, has contributed to
The New Yorker
since 1991, and has been a staff writer since 2001. His books include
The Metaphysical Club
(2001), which won a Pulitzer Prize and a Francis Parkman Prize from the Society of American Historians,
American Studies
(2002), and
The Marketplace of Ideas
(2010).

JOSEPH MITCHELL
(1908–1996) began writing for the magazine in 1933. His books include
McSorley’s Wonderful Saloon
(1943),
Joe Gould’s Secret
(1965), and
Up in the Old Hotel and Other Stories
(1992).

JOHN MOSHER
(1892–1942) wrote for
The New Yorker
from 1926 to 1942.

LEWIS MUMFORD
(1895–1990), a philosopher, literary critic, historian, and city planner, wrote the magazine’s architecture column, The Sky
Line, from 1931 to 1963. He wrote numerous books, including
The City in History
(1961), which won a National Book Award.

VLADIMIR NABOKOV
(1899–1977) was a Russian-born writer who immigrated to the United States in 1940. He began contributing to
The New Yorker
in 1942, and his fiction, poetry, and memoirs appeared in the magazine throughout the rest of his life. His novels include
Lolita
(1955),
Pnin
(1957), and
Pale Fire
(1962).

OGDEN NASH
(1902–1971) was a poet renowned for his light verse. He began contributing to
The New Yorker
in 1930, and he spent three months working on the magazine’s editorial staff the following year. His books include
I’m a Stranger Here Myself
(1938),
Good Intentions
(1942), and
Bed Riddance
(1969).

HOWARD NEMEROV
(1920–1991) was the United States poet laureate from 1963 to 1964 and again from 1988 to 1990. “The Triumph of Education,” reprinted here, was his first contribution to
The New Yorker.
His
Collected Poems
(1977) won a National Book Award, a Pulitzer Prize, and a Bollingen Prize.

FRANK O’CONNOR
(1903–1966) was an Irish writer best known for his short stories. He began contributing to
The New Yorker
in 1945. His books include
Guests of the Nation
(1931),
Traveller’s Samples
(1951), and
Domestic Relations
(1957).

JOHN O’HARA
(1905–1970) was a novelist and short-story writer. He first contributed to
The New Yorker
in 1928, and he went on to publish more than two hundred short stories in the magazine, more than any other writer. His novels include
Appointment in Samarra
(1934),
BUtterfield 8
(1935), and
Ten North Frederick
(1955), which won a National Book Award.

SUSAN ORLEAN
began contributing articles and Talk of the Town pieces to
The New Yorker
in 1987 and became a staff writer in 1992. She is the author of
The Orchid Thief
(1998),
The Bullfighter Checks Her Makeup
(2001), and
Rin Tin Tin
(2011).

GEORGE ORWELL
(1903–1950) was the pen name of Eric Arthur Blair, a novelist, essayist, journalist, and critic. His books include
Homage
to Catalonia
(1938),
Animal Farm
(1945), and
Nineteen Eighty-Four
(1949).

GEORGE PACKER
became a staff writer for
The New Yorker
in 2003 and covered the Iraq War for the magazine. His books include
The Assassins’ Gate
, which was named one of the ten best books of 2005 by
The New York Times
and won the New York Public Library’s Helen Bernstein Book Award for Excellence in Journalism and an Overseas Press Club’s book award, and
The Unwinding
, which won a 2013 National Book Award.

MOLLIE PANTER-DOWNES
(1906–1997) became a bestselling author at the age of sixteen, with her début novel,
The Shoreless Sea
(1923). Her other novels include
The Chase
(1925),
My Husband Simon
(1931), and
One Fine Day
(1947). She wrote the magazine’s Letter from London column for five decades, starting in 1939.

V. S. PRITCHETT
(1900–1997) was a writer best known for his short stories, and a book critic for
The New Yorker
for many years. “The Ladder,” reprinted here, was his first story for the magazine. His books include
The Complete Short Stories
(1990) and
Complete Collected Essays
(1991).

DAVID REMNICK
has been the editor of
The New Yorker
since 1998. He became a staff writer in 1992 and has written more than a hundred pieces for the magazine. He is the author of
Lenin’s Tomb
(1993), for which he received a Pulitzer Prize,
The Devil Problem
(1996),
Resurrection
(1997),
King of the World
(1998),
Reporting
(2006), and
The Bridge
(2010).

THEODORE ROETHKE
(1908–1963) was a poet whose books include
Words for the Wind
(1957) and
The Far Field
(1964), both of which won a National Book Award. He began contributing to
The New Yorker
in 1937.

ALEX ROSS
has been contributing to
The New Yorker
since 1993 and became the magazine’s music critic in 1996. He is the author of
The Rest Is Noise
(2007), which won a National Book Critics Circle Award and a Guardian First Book Award, and
Listen to This
(2010).

HAROLD ROSS
(1892–1951) founded
The New Yorker
in 1925 and served as its editor from the first issue until his death.

LILLIAN ROSS
became a staff writer at
The New Yorker
in 1945. She is the author of several books, including
Picture
(1952),
Portrait of Hemingway
(1961), and
Here but Not Here
(1998).

RICHARD ROVERE
(1915–1979) joined
The New Yorker
in 1944 and wrote the magazine’s Letter from Washington column from 1948 until his death. His books include
The American Establishment and Other Reports, Opinions, and Speculations
(1962) and
Waist Deep in the Big Muddy
(1968).

WINTHROP SARGEANT
(1903–1986) was a writer, critic, and violinist. In 1930, after stints playing with the New York Symphony and the New York Philharmonic, he abandoned his musical career to become a writer. From 1949 to 1972 he wrote the Musical Events column for
The New Yorker
, and he continued to contribute to the magazine until his death.

PETER SCHJELDAHL
joined
The New Yorker
in 1998 as the magazine’s art critic. He is the author of four books, including
The Hydrogen Jukebox
(1991) and
Let’s See
(2008).

IRWIN SHAW
(1913–1984) was a playwright, screenwriter, novelist, and short-story writer whose books include
The Young Lions
(1948),
Rich Man, Poor Man
(1970), and
God Was Here, but He Left Early
(1973).

ROBERT A. SIMON
(1897–1981) was a writer and translator. He was
The New Yorker
’s music critic from its first issue in 1925 until 1948. His books include
Our Little Girl
(1923) and
Sweet & Low
(1926).

ZADIE SMITH
is the author of four novels,
White Teeth
(2000),
The Autograph Man
(2002),
On Beauty
(2005), and
NW
(2012), and a collection of essays,
Changing My Mind
(2009).

STEPHEN SPENDER
(1909–1995) was a poet, novelist, and essayist. His books include
The Still Centre
(1939),
Ruins and Visions
(1942), and
The Edge of Being
(1949).