newcritics - Latest Comments in Grand Old Man of the New Journalism

Re: Grand Old Man of the New Journalism

RalphDeMarco — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 12:49:15 -0000

I have only read the 'kool-aid acid test' and a few essays. I was really knocked out by 'acid-test'. He reveals many unspoken truths about our culture with elegant prose and wit -- but to me there's a patronizing tone. Perhaps I need to take another look since he's so adored.

Re: Grand Old Man of the New Journalism

Campaspe — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 18:55:30 -0000

Wolfe is a fine writer, but I always thought Leonard Bernstein (full disclosure: my favorite conductor) got a raw deal from him.

Re: Grand Old Man of the New Journalism

KevinWolf — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 06:36:32 -0000

The Right Stuff, whatever its faults as accurate journalism, is a helluva good read, perhaps because the view Wolfe took of the space program was such a contrast to the Life Magazine publicity machine's output.

But I agree with Tom (Watson, not Wolfe) on the tendency toward a one-dimensional view of whatever subject is at hand. Reading Wolfe on modern art and architecture (particularly The Painted Word but also From Bauhaus to Our House) can be annoying as hell if you know anything at all about art. He certainly did not convince me, despite its excesses and methods, that the entire project of Modern Art -- which occupied so many people and had such an impact in the 20th Century -- was complete bullshit, though he certainly tried.

Re: Grand Old Man of the New Journalism

tomwatson — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:17:50 -0000

My view on Bonfire came from working as a political reporter in the Bronx at the time - and yes, it was incredibly ham-handed, no nuance at all. Even the Al Sharpton character was the merest of caricatures....

Re: Grand Old Man of the New Journalism

LanceMannion — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:09:26 -0000

Man oh man, how I used to love Wolfe's write stuff. But Bonfire of the Vanities soured me a bit, and not because of its politics, but because it was so hamhanded in its characterizations. And then I learned that my favorite of his non-fiction books, The Right Stuff, included a fair amount of fiction. Now I'm no longer sure what I think, unless I'm actually reading something by him. Then I tend to think, Wow can this man tell a really fine lie!

Re: Grand Old Man of the New Journalism

tomwatson — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 16:16:13 -0000

Bob - he is indeed a fascinating figure. It's funny, because he was praised so lavishly for Bonfire of the Vanities - yet he got it so damned wrong! Or rather, he got a one-dimensional cartoonish view from a single source (a law-and-order Bronx judge who was his pal) - yet it's considered a a true journal of 80s New York!