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Wieseltier vs. New Yorker, Part Deux

The New York Observer has more on literary critic James Wood’s defection from The New Republic to The New Yorker. The angle: will Wood have to tone down his hard-hitting approach to criticism, since The New Yorker publishes so many big-name writers in its fiction pages?

Wood says no, New Yorker editor David Remnick says no, and ever-charming New Republic literary editor Leon Wieseltier says that, well, it’s not his place to say, before proceeding to drop every YES-YES-YES hint he can come up with.

Mr. Wieseltier did not want to speculate about whether the New Yorker editor would keep his word. He pointed, instead, to remarks Mr. Remnick made in The New York Times when news of Mr. Wood’s move first broke. At that time, Mr. Remnick said that Mr. Wood was not a “slam artist,” and that despite what people say about him, he is “also capable of passionate praise.”

“When he keeps insisting on James’ ability to praise,” Mr. Wieseltier said, “David is apologizing for one of James’ greatest strengths.”

In another choice bit, Wieseltier says, “It would be hard to comment on the difference between The New Republic’s audience and The New Yorker’s audience without sounding vain and snobbish.” Yes, apparently it would.

Wood, for his part, says he’s looking forward to the chance to write some shorter reviews. For year one at The New Yorker, he’s agreed to turn in “five or six long pieces totaling about 5,000 words and five or six shorter ones at 2,500.”

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