Remnick's last collection of pieces (The Devil Problem
) was published in 1996—two years before he became editor of the New Yorker
(the magazine in which many of those essays appeared). This new collection of his essays from the New Yorker
is divided into five parts, to account for Remnick's varied interests: the first focuses on politics and current events, including Katharine Graham and New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. Following that are sections on writers (Philip Roth, Václav Havel), Russia (Vladimir Putin, the Romanovs), Israel/ Palestine (Benjamin Netanyahu, Hamas) and boxing (cornerman Teddy Atlas, Larry Holmes). In his introduction, Remnick describes many of his subjects as those who "tend to be elusive." It is Remnick's art to reveal subtle, truthful qualities of people such as Don DeLillo, Mike Tyson and Al Gore who are reluctant to disclose themselves. Remnick is an ideal reporter, combining erudition, curiosity, wit, an eye for the telling anecdote and empathy. (May)
