AN ENDURING MAGAZINE
A Century of The New Yorker (New York Public Library)
Started in 1925 and still going strong after more than 5,000 pages, The New Yorker is a mainstay of the periodical world. This major exhibit in the New York Public Library’s historic building at Bryant Park is informative, fun, and rich with examples of its distinctive style of writing and humor. (Early in his career, our son worked at The New Yorker as a fact checker. This cartoon is for him and also for our older granddaughter.)
From a lighter worldview in its formative years, The New Yorker took on serious issues of the day as noted in this text from the exhibit:
“During the 1960s, Shawn ushered in a golden age of nonfiction writing at The New Yorker, one infused with the era’s ethos of activism and social change.
In short succession, the magazine published revelatory pieces on the political and psychosocial nature of race relations in the United States, the impact of industrial pollution on the environment and the human body, and the troubling legacies of Nazism. Recognizing their absence in the magazine’s pages, Shawn began publishing more contributors of color…“
Editors such as William Shawn and Tina Brown are cited, and milestones in publishing celebrated: Ann Petry’s short story in 1958, the first by a Black individual, and John Hersey’s complete Hiroshima for the entire issue of August 31, 1946. Examples of playful and disgruntled correspondence between authors and their editors also have a place.
There are photographs and much to read, but the hall is enlivened by a long line of colorful New Yorker covers at the ceiling above the exhibit. Seeing the exhibit also offers an opportunity to experience some of this building’s grand architecture.
If you’re a fan of The New Yorker, the exhibit is definitely worth visiting and is on view until February 21, 2026!
BRITISH CRIME VIEWING
Towards Zero (BritBox)
Towards Zero is a stand-alone Agatha Christie mystery. It’s quite different and yet retains some quintessential Christie hallmarks. Set in the 1930’s, it’s in three parts and troubled Inspector Leach is the low-profile, low-key detective.
Tennis champ Neville Strange is a wunderkind whose life has run smoothly until his wife Audrey divorces him for infidelity in a very public trial. He quickly marries Kay, his paramour, and prepares to visit his aunt, Lady Tressilian, at her coastal estate. His parents are no longer around and it’s clear Neville views himself as heir apparent. Also on the scene are Mary, his aunt’s long-serving maid of all work; Mrs. Barret, the cook; Neville’s new valet Mac; lawyer Treves and his ward Sylvia; and Neville’s former wife Audrey, whom Neville invites to join them.
Class distinctions and the disparity between the monied and the staff create tensions which are exacerbated with the mostly unexpected arrival of Thomas Boyde, a relative. When a death occurs, and then another, Leach is called in. True to form, all the principals are gathered in the drawing room to await Leach’s individual questioning and examination. The series moves slowly and deliberately without a lot of suspense initially, but I was kept guessing as to who the murderer was and the motivation. Recommended for Agatha Christie fans.
Note: Header photo outside NYPL and the literary lion one ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.) Other photos are from the exhibit or the source is noted.
