Paris Review founders
The Paris Review Origin Story and Their Secret to the Art of the InterviewAuthors are sometimes like tomcats: they distrust all the other toms, but they are kind to kittens.By Maria Popova Show
What makes the Paris Review interviewers and their ethos different, Cowley observes, can be boiled down to two essentials homework and humility:
Even more interesting than the question of interview style is that of motive what prompted George Plimpton and his co-founders to forever change the face and economics of literary writing by redefining the art of the interview when they launched The Paris Review in 1953 in what closely resembles contemporary startup culture? Cowley writes:
But The Paris Review differed from other literary magazines in one crucial aspect: Its intricate osmosis of art and commerce.
And thus the interviews themselves became at first a kind of merchandizing gimmick designed to build circulation The Paris Review needed big names to hook readers, but couldnt afford original writing, so the interview offered a welcome loophole of unpaid name-dropping:
But soon, it became clear that the interview itself held unique allure as its own genre of literary entertainment and The Paris Review team quickly honed its craft down to a science:
The most obvious question, of course, is why some of the eras most revered literary legends would agree to discuss, in print, the most intimate and profound details of their craft with a duo of recent college graduates. Here, we once again see the human element that quintessential blend of empathy, sheer goodwill, and indulgent delight in a tickled ego come into play:
Cumulatively, Cowley argues, the interviews painted a powerful portrait of the writer:
Though The Paris Review has since released all of the archival interviews online, as well as in an irresistible boxed set, Writers at Work: The Paris Review Interviews, First Series is worth a read even if only for Cowleys lengthy and insightful introductory essay, which explores in over twenty pages such facets of the writing craft as daily routines, motivations, and work ethic. |