Takes
The New Yorker’s writers, editors, and supporters revisit notable works from the archive.
Patrick Radden Keefe on Truman Capote’s “In Cold Blood”
Capote’s journalistic transgressions were serious, but there is no denying the awesome influence of his work.
Amanda Petrusich on Katy Grannan’s Photograph of Taylor Swift
Looking at this image is like seeing a picture of yourself taken just before something seismic happened.
Lawrence Wright on A. J. Liebling’s “The Great State”
For all the humor in his reporting, Liebling recognized Louisiana’s governor as something more than another political buffoon. That insight made the piece a classic.
Emma Allen on Otto Soglow’s Spot Art
Fifty years after his death, the work of the pioneering New Yorker cartoonist still appears in every issue.
Katy Waldman on Mary McCarthy’s “One Touch of Nature”
A reader trusts the author’s voice instinctively, charmed by its opaline assessments and zinging aperçus. Still, one can quibble.
Jorie Graham on Elizabeth Bishop’s “At the Fishhouses”
The poem confirmed the ascent of a rare new voice—a mesmerizing voice that became indispensable to American verse.
Ariel Levy on Emily Hahn’s “The Big Smoke”
In 1969, the longtime foreign correspondent recalled a youthful adventure in which she moved to China, keen on becoming an opium addict.
Edwidge Danticat on Jamaica Kincaid’s “Girl”
The mother in Kincaid’s story is not only trying to tame a shrew; she is offering a template for survival.
Hanif Abdurraqib on Ellen Willis’s Review of Elvis in Las Vegas
The magazine’s first pop-music critic was never afraid to be overtaken by unexpected delight, even if it came at the expense of some preëxisting skepticism.
Hannah Goldfield on Anthony Bourdain’s “Don’t Eat Before Reading This”
Bourdain was much more than a whistle-blower, even at the very beginning of what would become his second, incredibly significant career.