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Article: The New Yorker & Fiction: A Sad Story
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- June 27, 1994
- Author:
CopyrightThis material is published under license from the Washington Post. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post. (Hide copyright information)
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It is a revealing measure not merely of the parlous state of
American literary fiction but also of the current editorial climate
at The New Yorker that of the 196 pages in the magazine's "special"
fiction issue, only 46 are actually devoted to new fiction, and
those 46 are liberally sprinkled with cartoons, advertisements and
illustrations. Perhaps it is true, as the contents page declares,
that "The New Yorker Celebrates Fiction," but its celebration is
wary, halfhearted and unconvincing.
This double issue has been issued to great huzzahs of
self-congratulation as well as a rather edgy publicity campaign, the
edginess apparently traceable to a lack of conviction on the part of
The New ...