NY Observer > Tom Wolfe

Clay Felker: Made New York Into A Magazine

John Koblin and Spencer Morgan — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 20:25:14 -0400

After Clay Felker passed away Tuesday morning in Manhattan, The Observer spoke to some who knew him well.

Robert Benton

The first time I ever screamed “fuck” in front of a room full of women was when I got mad at Clay at the Esquire offices. We were having this argument that went up and down the hall and I reached my wits end; I just said, “You fuck!” It came out of my mouth before I knew what I had said. Clay could drive you crazy, but you never stopped caring for him.

Milton Glaser

We were once in Paris. read more »

When Tom Wolfe Talks, People Listen

Matt Haber — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 11:35:31 -0400

Two things we learned from reading Andrew Ross Sorkin's Dealbook column in today's New York Times: 1. Tom Wolfe rides the Hampton Jitney; and 2. He thinks Sherman McCoy, the protagonist of his 1987 novel The Bonfire of the Vanities would be sunk in the current economic climate. (Join the club, Sherman!)

As Mr. Wolfe tells Mr. Sorkin: "He would be eating his heart out wanting to run a hedge fund, but he’s not smart enough!" Well, thankfully he's also totally fictional.

In the column, Mr. Wolfe shares his views on the current crisis in late-late capitalism with vague, oracular pronouncements like "It sounds like even the firms that aren't in trouble are in trouble" and "It has always interested me that the word 'credit' comes from the word 'credere,' which means 'to believe'. read more »

Tom Wolfe Responds to Aby Rosen's Anti-Semitic Charge

Tom Acitelli — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 11:54:25 -0400

Tom Wolfe responded in this week's Observer to Aby Rosen's allegations of anti-Semitism in Mr. Wolfe's 2006 New York Times op-ed about Mr. Rosen's plans for 980 Madison.

Here was Mr. Rosen in The Observer last week:

I like productive criticism; I try to criticize things all the time, not because I’m so important. … I want equal criticism; it’s just the way you deliver it. It had a nasty undertone that I didn’t care much for. I grew up in Germany postwar as a Jewish child; I did not need an anti-Semitic undertone ...

I’ve seen a lot of anti-Semites who mingle with Jews left and right. read more »

Morning Memo: Cindy McCain Metes Out Swift Justice; Death Comes to Sex and the City

Irina Aleksander — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 10:15:44 -0400

A spokesperson for the McCains said that the intern that was supposedly responsible for recipes lifted off of the Food Network site, has been "dealt with swiftly," which we find scary. [AP] read more »

Our Critic's Tip Sheet on Current Reading: Tom Wolfe's Steamy New York; The Nation's Gastric Obsessions

Adam Begley — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 12:51:07 -0500

Let’s give a warm New York welcome to the 10th anniversary edition of Phillip Lopate’s essential Writing New York: A Literary Anthology (Library of America, $19.95), now in paperback and expanded to include material from the past decade.

We've seen many changes since 1998. The twin towers are gone. Rudy, too. The Yankees have quit winning the World Series. The rich got richer, again. Mr. Lopate detects a vein of anxiety about certain trends: “Some writers have warned that the city’s texture, its very character, is being eroded by a steady stream of luxury condominiums and national chain stores. In this apocalyptic vision, the destruction of New York will come not from terrorist attack but from the slow nibbling away of its soul by greedy, suburbanized blandness.” But browse awhile through this anthology and you’ll recognize that the city’s essence is eternal. Here, for example, is Tom Wolfe writing (writing!) in 1965, from a sweet little ditty called “A Sunday Kind of Love”: read more »

Tom Wolfe On His New Book and His Decision to Leave FSG

Leon Neyfakh — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 17:02:12 -0500

As reported earlier, Tom Wolfe is working on a new novel set in Miami called Back to Blood, which will be published in 2009 by Little, Brown.

According to a press release, the book would deal with "class, family, wealth, race, crime, sex, corruption, and ambition." The overriding theme, though, based on an interview with Mr. Wolfe, will be Miami's immigrant population, which he said includes Cubans, Nicaraguans, Haitians, and Russians.

"My original subject was just immigration, not from any policy point of view, but just curiosity about what the life of recent immigrants is like, and how they feel when they come up against American culture or Americans in general," Mr. Wolfe said. "As far as I can tell there is no other city in the world [besides Miami] where more than half the population are people who arrived here within the last 50 years." read more »

Tom Wolfe Leaves FSG After 42 Years, Will Publish New Novel With Little, Brown

Leon Neyfakh — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 12:22:58 -0500

Tom Wolfe, who has published all thirteen of his books since 1965 with Farrar, Straus & Giroux, is taking his business to Little, Brown for his upcoming novel, Back to Blood.

Why did Mr. Wolfe leave his home? According to FSG editor-in-chief Jonathan Galassi, it was a question only of money.

"We just couldn't agree on the price for the project. That was the only thing," Mr. Galassi said. "We love Tom. He's a big part of the family here. It's sad, but there are certain things that are just determining."

Mr. Galassi said he read about 20 pages of Mr. Wolfe's book when Lynn Nesbit--Mr. Wolfe's longtime literary agent--submitted it to him in early December. Ms. Nesbit, who could not be reached for comment, took the book elsewhere when it became clear that an agreement with FSG would not be reached.

Mr. Wolfe's editor at Little, Brown will be Pat Strachan, who worked with him on Bonfire of the Vanities and five other books while she was an editor at FSG during the 1970s and '80s. read more »

Help! My Project Is Failing!

Observer Staff — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 08:25:26 -0500

Would Ken Fisher, the former City Councilman-turned-blogger, be able to help a developer get a real-estate project through a gridlocked bureaucracy? City Hall, the monthly published by the folks who bring you Our Town and The West Side Spirit, at one time thought so.

And maybe he could. But more so than a Sandy Lindenbaum or Ross Moskowitz?

The 10-month-old newspaper is about to come out with "The Land Use Power List: 10 People Who Can Make Sure Your Project Gets Built--or Stop It." Mr. Fisher was on an early version of the list that The Real Estate obtained. The others, with The Real Estate's annotations, are below: Dan Doctoroff (a shoo-in) Amanda Burden (of course) Melinda Katz (if you are Wal-Mart) Robert Tierney (unless you are Tom Wolfe) Avi Schick (maybe in five months) Joshua J. Sirefman (maybe five months ago) Joe Bruno (so long as he stays in office) Eliot Spitzer (time will tell) Sheldon Silver (if your project involves or competes with Madison Square Garden in any way whatsoever, then yes)

Manhattan Media President Tom Allon and City Hall Editor Edward-Isaac Dovere told The Real Estate that the list above is already out of date and will likely change before it is published March 12. Mr. Sirefman--who left the Economic Development Corporation in January--has been cut. Mr. Fisher, a real estate lawyer and lobbyist, may or may not be.

City Hall is still taking suggestions, so feel free to write them in below. You could even nominate yourself and no one would know. Hey, it's the blogosphere! - Matthew Schuerman

The Sheriff of Landmarks

Tom Acitelli — Sun, 25 Feb 2007 19:00:00 -0500

LOCATION: The controversy over 980 Madison Avenue has yet to be resolved, but the Landmarks Preserva read more »

The Afternoon Wrap: Friday

Observer Staff — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 12:39:55 -0500

One can tell critic Martin Fuller doesn't like Tom Wolfe by modest statements like: "From Bauhaus to Our House [is] perhaps the most ill-informed book ever written about architecture." [House + Garden]
If you fit into the "bonus buyers and moneyed type" category, DUMBO is surely a perfect fit. And a chilly February weekend is surely the perfect time to see the open house of those "once-decrepit warehouses turned luxury lofts." [NY Mag]
The Mayor has "questions" about Clipper Equities, the new owner of $1.3 billion Starrett City. Why? He tells his listeners out in radio land that Clipper isn't "a reputable landlord." [Real Deal]
Manhattan Gnudi bars and tapas joints are all the epicurian rage. They'd be even more likeable without names like Degustation and Al Di La. [Gridskipper]

Max Abelson