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So I'm new to goodreads, sue me, but based on early returns, I should probably climb off Remnick's jock.. soz., but Dude can write. I am actually a little sad that this is the first rating for this anthology.In any event, The Devil Problem: And Other True Stories captures Remnick at his best, and in turn, offers its readers some of the finest long-form, narrative journalism ever committed to paper. Whether its painting the picture of Reggie Jackson's swan song—read: alone, taking BP in an empty
i'm so on david remnick's jock.
Great profiles from the New Yorker. Hamlet in Hollywood alone makes this worth reading for its account of a Hollywood producer in a lawsuit with a college professor over who has the rights to the idea that Hamlet is a coded play about Martin Luther. Also not to be missed: News in a Dying Language , about the Yiddish New York paper the Jewish Daily Forward. "...the slant is often so acute that one anticipates the millennium headline WORLD ENDS YESTERDAY; JEWS SUFFER MOST."
David Remnick provides the textbook definition of how to write journalistic personality profiles. No matter the subject, Remnick never fails to interest the reader. Although these profiles are old, most written in the mid-90s, they are imperative reading for anyone interested in writing personality profiles. Or for anyone interested in reading exceptional writing.
This was a delight. Remnick is an informed, perceptive and urbane writer who's profiles from the mid-1980's to the mid-1990's (almost all published in The New Yorker) are still relevant. I got the book for the profile of Alger Hiss, but Remnick's piece on Gary Hart was worth the price of admission. Hart's was the first public life to be "cancelled" - before the word even existed.
long form journalism at its best.
The usual absolutely brilliant writing of David Remnick
Sort of like a 'best of' compilation of David's investigative and longform journalism - covering lots of different things happening in lots of different places. Some of the segments were more compelling to me than others - the bit on Northern Ireland particularly. You can see why the man won a Pulitzer!
When it comes to writing, what I always struggle the most with is keeping my characters not only consistent but also, able to give that feeling that they can be (in some parallel universe) real. Or at least, that they won't come across as cardboard pieces of some re-used tropes. And it's a tricky think to pull off. So tricky, I don't normally get it right or I don't get them as I thought they would be (cause, you know , writing can be a tiny tiny frustrating bussiness.) But this book showed m...
This collection of profiles was lent to me by a professor, and as a journalism student this book was amazing!Remnick effortlessly portrays both the character and personality of the person he's profiling, but also deftly explains the issues surrounding them and their contribution to the world at large. Because this book was published in 1990, a lot of these figures and issues have faded away from the public's consciousness so in reading this book I learned a lot about politics and culture that I
Read parts of it--OK. Sort of classic New Yorker-style profiles that don't really go anywhere and aren't especially illuminating.
I don't want to like David Remnick, but for some reason I do.
Remarkable writing for outstanding stories.