Trying to investigate the original title of Remnick's book, I
found a review, dated from May 14, 2006, about 'Reporting:
Writings from The New Yorker,' by David Remnick, written by
Pete Hamill, "A Ringside Seat."
Excerpts: "EZRA POUND was a crackpot on social and
political issues, but he knew what he was talking about in matters of
the written language. In 1934, in "ABC of Reading," he said,
"Literature is news that stays news." In that sense, this collection of
articles by David Remnick can stand as literature. Since 1998, of
course, Remnick has served as the editor of The New Yorker, certainly a
full-time job...from the beginning of his editorial duties, Remnick has
continued working as a reporter and writer. In the modern era, not many
editors make such a choice. "I was the opposite of a specialist," he
writes... So it is no surprise that these 23 pieces from The New Yorker
are the work of a proud generalist, avidly curious about the many
enigmas of the world. The articles in "Reporting" range from patient,
careful visits with Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (in Vermont exile and again
after his return to the new Russia he helped create) to the ravages of
Hurricane Katrina. ... The older articles still make a reader
understand better the issues of the present day...As a writer, Remnick
practices a classic journalistic style: concrete nouns, active verbs,
graceful sentences, solid paragraphs, subtle transitions. A sly wit
often punches up the prose, and he is hip in the original sense of the
word, which was "knowing," not "fashionable." One measure of his
accomplishment is what he avoids: jargon, prophecy, slang that
instantly grows moldy, those ugly words that come out of sociology or
the Beltway ("proactive," "impact" as a verb, too many others). I've
been edited by Remnick and interviewed by him, and came away from each
experience respecting his intelligence and professionalism. As an
editor, he wants to make the writer's work better; as a writer, he
treats the reader as an informed, intelligent equal...The engine of his
published work is, of course, reporting. Every reporter inhales
skepticism. You interview people and they lie. You face public figures,
diligently making notes or taping what is said, and they perform their
interviews to fit a calculated script. The truth, alas, is always
elusive...The bad food and arctic winds soon gave way to one of the
great stories of the last decades of the 20th century, and Remnick had
a ringside seat. He used every available tool to make sense of what he
was seeing... Remnick had struggled valiantly with Russian as a student
at Princeton (both grandfathers were Russian)...IT is no accident that
six of the pieces in this collection are part of the aftermath of that
historic time. Other articles show that Remnick was still learning from
his subjects. In a
fine essay about the continuing project of retranslating the great
Russian writers, he quotes Vladimir Nabokov: "In art as in
science there is no delight without the detail. . . . All 'general
ideas' (so easily acquired, so profitably resold) must necessarily
remain but worn passports allowing their bearers shortcuts from one
area of ignorance to another."...And in his interview
with Oz, the Israeli novelist and journalist, he is told: "I don't like
to be described as an author of fiction. Fiction is a lie. James
Joycetook the trouble, if I am not mistaken, to measure the precise
distance from Bloom's basement entrance to the street above. In
'Ulysses' it is exact, and yet it is called fiction. But when a
journalist writes, 'A cloud of uncertainty hovers . . .' — this is
called fact!" The challenge remains a simple one: to write news that
stays news.".
Here is an interview with him by Sylvia Colombo ("A Folha de São
Paulo"), at the time the translation was published in Brazil**
FOLHA - It's said that the style of the "New Yorker" is "literary
journalism". What is your opinion?
REMNICK - I'm a reporter and I hope that I'm a good one.
"Literary" sounds less a description than a form of praise. I think
that fiction shoudn't have birthright privileges. I wouldn't say that
the works of George Orwell's fiction are better than his non-fiction
writings. "Homage to Catalonia" is better by far than al his other
novels. And Vladimir Nabokov's memoirs (Speak, Memory) is as
good as a great majority of his novels (that I adore). I doubt it that
the best non-fiction works can reach the corners of the human soul as
well as fiction can. On the other hand, the best non-fiction
is true in its own way because its construction departs from a concrete
world e this creates specific qualities. What I don't believe in is in
cheating, that is, fiction disguised as non-fiction.
....................................................................................................................
* It seems that Remnick's original title is: 'Reporting:
Writings from The New Yorker,'
Sandy Klein sent news about it already in 2006 Cf.
NABOKV-L Archives -- May 2006 (#48) 13
May 2006
... link to a review of a volume of essays by New
Yorker editor David Remnick: Sunday Book Review Saturday,
listserv.ucsb.edu/lsv-cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0605&L... -
** ‘Dentro da Floresta’, reunião de seus melhores textos
jornalísticos, sai agora no Brasil, pela coleção ‘Jornalismo Literário’
(Companhia das Letras). O livro traz 23 artigos de Remnick publicados
na ‘New Yorker’ entre 1994 e 2006 ...F: Costuma-se definir o estilo da
‘New Yorker’ como jornalismo literário. Qual é sua opinião?R:Sou um
repórter e espero ser um bom repórter. ‘Literário’ parece ser menos uma
descrição e mais um elogio. Penso que a ficção não deva ter privilégios
de nascença. Não diria, por exemplo, que os trabalhos de ficção de
George Orwell são melhores que os de não-ficção. ‘Homage to Catalonia’
é melhor do que todos os seus romances. E o livro de memórias de
Vladimir Nabokov (‘Speak, Memory’) é tão bom quanto muitos de seus
romances (ainda que eu os adore). Duvido que a melhor não-ficção
possa atingir os cantos da alma humana tão bem como a ficção o faz. Por
outro lado, a melhor não-ficção é verdadeira a seu modo, pois é
construída a partir de um mundo concreto, e isso traz qualidades
específicas. O que eu não acredito é em tapeação, ou seja, em ficção
mascarada de não-ficção