Do The New Yorker editors encourage a standard opening phrase (fine-weather & day-time tricks) in their articles?
[Compiled by Mayank Austen Soofi]
Check out in The New Yorker, issue dated Oct. 13, 2008
A Reporter At Large
The Hardest Vote, by George Packer
Page 60
"Barbie Snodgrass had agreed to meet me at a Kentucky Fried Chicken outlet, on a strip of fast-food restaurants and auto shops west of downtown Columbus, Ohio, but she didn’t have much time to talk."
A Critic's Notebook
Verbage, by James Wood
Page 74
"In recent elections..."
Letter From Crawford
Exile On Main Street, by Pamela Colloff
Page 76
"Keith Lynch lives three miles down the road from President Bush's ranch in Crawford, Texas, and, like many of his neighbors, he comes from a family that has worked cattle on this land for more than a century.”
Shouts & Murmurs
Lipstick on a Pig A 2008 Campaign Quiz, by Paul Slansky
Page 88
"What question was John McCain asked that prompted eight seconds of silence...”
Annals Of Democracy
Rock, Paper, Scissors, by Jill Lepore
Page 90
"On the morning of November 2, 1859 - Election Day...”
The Political Scene
Worlds Apart, by Nicholas Lemann
Page 112
"When John Kerry came to the stage at the 2004 Democratic National Convention...”
Profiles
The Oracle, by Lauren Collins
Page 122
"Arianna Huffington's best-selling biographies of Maria Callas (1981) and Pablo Picasso (1988)...”
The Critics
Set In Stone, by Thomas Mallon
Page 136
"At the dedication of the Lincoln Memorial, in Washington, D.C., on May 30, 1922..."
Briefly Noted
The Snowball
Page 145
"This authorized biography of Warren Buffet, based on thousands of hours of interviews, appears just a week after...”
Briefly Noted
The Beautiful Soul of John Woolman, Apostle of Abolition
Page 145
"The journalof the Quaker mystic and abolitionist John Woolman has never been out of print since 1774...”
Musical Events
Supersonic, by Alex Ross
Page 146
"For a few years in the late nineteen-sixties and early seventies..."
The Theatre
Geography Of Regret, by John Lahr
Page 148
"When Anton Chekhov's "The Seagull" first opened in St. Petersburg, in October, 1896..."
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Exposed - The New Yorker, April 17, 2006
Do The New Yorker editors encourage a standard opening phrase (fine-weather & day-time tricks) in their articles?
[Compiled by Mayank Austen Soofi]
Check out in The New Yorker, issue dated April 17, 2006
The Talk of The Town
Gotham Gossip Gotcha, Dunleavy Speaks, by John Cassidy
Page 26
"It was Friday afternoon...”
The Talk of The Town
Media Babes, Dubai's Divas-In-Training, by Lauren Collins
Page 27
"Anticlimactic as it may have been, the news last week...”
The Talk of The Town
Reissues Dept., Haggadah Da-Vida, by Sasha Frere-Jones
Page 29
"One recent evening...”
Onward And Upward With The Arts
Not Nice, by Cynthia Zarin
Page 38
"Maurice Sendak, the writer and illustrator, can usually be found in one of two places in Ridgefield, Connecticut: in the studio off the kitchen in his eighteenth-century clapboard farmhouse, where he works most days, or a quarter of a mile away, in a small, two-story red barn he built ten years ago..."
Profiles
The Protest Singer, by Alec Wilkinson
Page 44
"It was the ambition of the singer and songwriter Peter Seeger, as a child, in the ninteen-twenties..."
Annals Of Religion
A Church Asunder, by Peter J. Boyer
Page 54
"In the late summer of 1965...”
The Critics
Stage Left, by John Lahr
Page 72
"On April 17th, to mark the centennial of the birth of the playwright Clifford Odets, Lincoln Center Theatre will open a new production of “Awake and Sing!,” Odets’s first full-length play and the one that made him a literary superstar in 1935, at the age of twenty-eight.”
Briefly Noted
Anna of All the Russias
Page 79
"Anna Akhmatova was born in 1889...”
[Compiled by Mayank Austen Soofi]
Check out in The New Yorker, issue dated April 17, 2006
The Talk of The Town
Gotham Gossip Gotcha, Dunleavy Speaks, by John Cassidy
Page 26
"It was Friday afternoon...”
The Talk of The Town
Media Babes, Dubai's Divas-In-Training, by Lauren Collins
Page 27
"Anticlimactic as it may have been, the news last week...”
The Talk of The Town
Reissues Dept., Haggadah Da-Vida, by Sasha Frere-Jones
Page 29
"One recent evening...”
Onward And Upward With The Arts
Not Nice, by Cynthia Zarin
Page 38
"Maurice Sendak, the writer and illustrator, can usually be found in one of two places in Ridgefield, Connecticut: in the studio off the kitchen in his eighteenth-century clapboard farmhouse, where he works most days, or a quarter of a mile away, in a small, two-story red barn he built ten years ago..."
Profiles
The Protest Singer, by Alec Wilkinson
Page 44
"It was the ambition of the singer and songwriter Peter Seeger, as a child, in the ninteen-twenties..."
Annals Of Religion
A Church Asunder, by Peter J. Boyer
Page 54
"In the late summer of 1965...”
The Critics
Stage Left, by John Lahr
Page 72
"On April 17th, to mark the centennial of the birth of the playwright Clifford Odets, Lincoln Center Theatre will open a new production of “Awake and Sing!,” Odets’s first full-length play and the one that made him a literary superstar in 1935, at the age of twenty-eight.”
Briefly Noted
Anna of All the Russias
Page 79
"Anna Akhmatova was born in 1889...”
Monday, October 6, 2008
Exposed - The New Yorker, Sept. 22, 2008
Do The New Yorker editors encourage a standard opening phrase (fine-weather & day-time tricks) in their articles?
[Compiled by Mayank Austen Soofi]
Check out in The New Yorker, issue dated September 22, 2008
The Talk of The Town
Comment, The Get, by Steve Coll
Page 31
"David Westin has served as the president of ABC News for about eleven years...”
The Talk of The Town
Dept. Of Repurposing, Vacancy, by John Seabrook
Page 34
"One recent morning, Joseph McKinsey sat...”
Profile
Outside Man, by John Colapinto
Page 52
"One morning last June, Spike Lee arrived early..."
Letter From Alaska
The State Of Sarah Palin, by Philip Gourevitch
Page 64
"It rained a lot in Alaska this summer -- even more than usual -- and it was a cold summer, too."
The Critics
President Tom's Cabin, by Jill Lepore
Page 86
"In 1852, when Harriet Beecher Stowe finished...”
Briefly Noted
Vanity Fair: The Portraits
Page 91
"Because Vanity Fair ran from 1913 to 1936, ceased publication, and then resumed in 1983,this dazzling panoply of twentieth-century fame...”
The Theatre
American Gothic, by Hilton Als
Page 94
"When Robert Wilson chose the brilliant black performer Sheryl Sutton for his 1970 show...”
[Compiled by Mayank Austen Soofi]
Check out in The New Yorker, issue dated September 22, 2008
The Talk of The Town
Comment, The Get, by Steve Coll
Page 31
"David Westin has served as the president of ABC News for about eleven years...”
The Talk of The Town
Dept. Of Repurposing, Vacancy, by John Seabrook
Page 34
"One recent morning, Joseph McKinsey sat...”
Profile
Outside Man, by John Colapinto
Page 52
"One morning last June, Spike Lee arrived early..."
Letter From Alaska
The State Of Sarah Palin, by Philip Gourevitch
Page 64
"It rained a lot in Alaska this summer -- even more than usual -- and it was a cold summer, too."
The Critics
President Tom's Cabin, by Jill Lepore
Page 86
"In 1852, when Harriet Beecher Stowe finished...”
Briefly Noted
Vanity Fair: The Portraits
Page 91
"Because Vanity Fair ran from 1913 to 1936, ceased publication, and then resumed in 1983,this dazzling panoply of twentieth-century fame...”
The Theatre
American Gothic, by Hilton Als
Page 94
"When Robert Wilson chose the brilliant black performer Sheryl Sutton for his 1970 show...”
Friday, October 3, 2008
Exposed - The NewYorker, Sept. 29, 2008
Do The New Yorker editors encourage a standard opening phrase (fine-weather & day-time tricks) in their articles?
[Compiled by Mayank Austen Soofi]
Check out in The New Yorker, issue dated September 29, 2008
The Talk of The Town
Comment, Bailing Out, by John Cassidy
Page 25
"If Barack Obama is victorious on November 4th...”
The Talk of The Town
Dept. Of Magical Thinking, Wiz Bucks, by Nick Paumgarten
Page 28
"Any attempt to find causation or fault for what happened last week...”
The Talk Of The Town
Postscript, David Foster Wallace, by Deborah Treisman
Page 29
"David Foster Wallace, who died on September 12th, at the age of forty-six, was in many ways a writer of his time."
The Financial Page
Public Humiliation, by James Surowiecki
Page 30
"Before the government stepped in last week..."
Personal History
The Madness Of Spies, by John Le Carre
Page 32
"I carried my first 9-mm. automatic Browning when I was just twenty years old."
Portfolio By Platon
Service
Page 49
"This summer...”
A Reporter At Large
The Last Tour, by William Finnegan
Page 64
"When the Twiggs brothers got to the Grand Canyon, on May 12th...”
The Current Cinema
Guns And Lovers, by David Denby
Page 94
"Viggo Mortensen, square-jawed, dimpled, and fit, is a reserved man, but he's very present in the here and now...”
Briefly Noted
The Hebrew Republic
Page 123
"The Bush Administration's fervent desire to broker a Middle East peace agreement before it leaves the stage, early next year...”
The Art World
Many-Coloured Glass, by Peter Schjeldahl
Page 124
"By the lights of many in the international art world, Gerhard Richter and Sigmar Polke are the leading painters of our day...”
The Theatre
The Fight Back, by John Lahr
Page 128
""Up, Odets!!" Clifford Odets cheered himself on in his diary in 1940...”
The Sky Line
The Heatherwick Effect, by Paul Goldberger
Page 130
"For the past few years, an office development...”
[Compiled by Mayank Austen Soofi]
Check out in The New Yorker, issue dated September 29, 2008
The Talk of The Town
Comment, Bailing Out, by John Cassidy
Page 25
"If Barack Obama is victorious on November 4th...”
The Talk of The Town
Dept. Of Magical Thinking, Wiz Bucks, by Nick Paumgarten
Page 28
"Any attempt to find causation or fault for what happened last week...”
The Talk Of The Town
Postscript, David Foster Wallace, by Deborah Treisman
Page 29
"David Foster Wallace, who died on September 12th, at the age of forty-six, was in many ways a writer of his time."
The Financial Page
Public Humiliation, by James Surowiecki
Page 30
"Before the government stepped in last week..."
Personal History
The Madness Of Spies, by John Le Carre
Page 32
"I carried my first 9-mm. automatic Browning when I was just twenty years old."
Portfolio By Platon
Service
Page 49
"This summer...”
A Reporter At Large
The Last Tour, by William Finnegan
Page 64
"When the Twiggs brothers got to the Grand Canyon, on May 12th...”
The Current Cinema
Guns And Lovers, by David Denby
Page 94
"Viggo Mortensen, square-jawed, dimpled, and fit, is a reserved man, but he's very present in the here and now...”
Briefly Noted
The Hebrew Republic
Page 123
"The Bush Administration's fervent desire to broker a Middle East peace agreement before it leaves the stage, early next year...”
The Art World
Many-Coloured Glass, by Peter Schjeldahl
Page 124
"By the lights of many in the international art world, Gerhard Richter and Sigmar Polke are the leading painters of our day...”
The Theatre
The Fight Back, by John Lahr
Page 128
""Up, Odets!!" Clifford Odets cheered himself on in his diary in 1940...”
The Sky Line
The Heatherwick Effect, by Paul Goldberger
Page 130
"For the past few years, an office development...”
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Exposed - The New Yorker, Sept.18, 2006
Do The New Yorker editors encourage a standard opening phrase (fine-weather & day-time tricks) in their articles?
[Compiled by Mayank Austen Soofi]
Check out in The New Yorker, issue dated September 18, 2006
The Talk of The Town
Comment, Prisoners, by George Packer
Page 25
"If only political jujitsu were a useful weapon in the war on terror, the President's speech last Wednesday...”
The Talk of The Town
Franco-American Dept., Mrs.B.H.L., by Rebecca Mead
Page 28
"Arielle Dombasle, a movie actress who is half of France’s most famous couple—her husband is Bernard-Henri Lévy, the dashing philosopher-journalist and timber-fortune heir—has hitherto been best known in this country for her appearance, in 1984...”
Reflections
In The Waiting Room, by David Sedaris
Page 38
"Six months after moving to Paris..."
Profiles
The Wanderer, by David Remnick
Page 42
"On a clear, spring afternoon in Berlin, Bill and Chelsea Clinton..."
The Critics
Her Debut, by Tad Friend
Page 78
"It's hard to say which of Katie Couric's news broadcasts last week was...”
Briefly Noted
Every Eye
Page 89
"Hatty, the narrator of this exquisite 1956 novel...”
[Compiled by Mayank Austen Soofi]
Check out in The New Yorker, issue dated September 18, 2006
The Talk of The Town
Comment, Prisoners, by George Packer
Page 25
"If only political jujitsu were a useful weapon in the war on terror, the President's speech last Wednesday...”
The Talk of The Town
Franco-American Dept., Mrs.B.H.L., by Rebecca Mead
Page 28
"Arielle Dombasle, a movie actress who is half of France’s most famous couple—her husband is Bernard-Henri Lévy, the dashing philosopher-journalist and timber-fortune heir—has hitherto been best known in this country for her appearance, in 1984...”
Reflections
In The Waiting Room, by David Sedaris
Page 38
"Six months after moving to Paris..."
Profiles
The Wanderer, by David Remnick
Page 42
"On a clear, spring afternoon in Berlin, Bill and Chelsea Clinton..."
The Critics
Her Debut, by Tad Friend
Page 78
"It's hard to say which of Katie Couric's news broadcasts last week was...”
Briefly Noted
Every Eye
Page 89
"Hatty, the narrator of this exquisite 1956 novel...”
Monday, September 29, 2008
Exposed - The New Yorker, May 12, 2008
Do The New Yorker editors encourage a standard opening phrase (fine-weather & day-time tricks) in their articles?
[Compiled by Mayank Austen Soofi]
Check out in The New Yorker, issue dated May 12, 2008
The Talk of The Town
The Bench, Fan Feud, by Tim Wu
Page 42
"Once upon a time, a talented weaver...”
The Talk of The Town
Moonlighting Dept., Word Feast, by Lauren Collins
Page 44
"When Christopher Russell, a captain at Gramercy Tavern for many years...”
The Talk Of The Town
Next Generation Dept., Amanuensis, by Jeffrey Toobin
Page 46
"There was a long pause before Ted Sorensen..."
The Financial Page
The Open Secret Of Success, by James Surowiecki
Page 48
"In the current atmosphere of economic tumult, the announcement that Toyota sold a hundred and sixty thousand more cars than General Motors in the first three months of this year..."
Annals Of Innovation
In The Air, by Malcolm Gladwell
Page 50
"Nathan Myhrvold met Jack Horner on the set of the "Jurassic Park" sequel in 1996."
Letter From Alaska
Song Of The Earth, by Alex Ross
Page 76
"On a recent trip to the Alaskan interior...”
The World Of Fashion
Pixel Perfect, by Lauren Collins
Page 94
"For a charity auction few years back...”
The Critics
I Have To Ask, by Nicholas Lemann
Page 82
"Barack Obama walked on to the set of "The View" a few weeks ago...”
Briefly Noted
The Hebrew Republic
Page 123
"The Bush Administration's fervent desire to broker a Middle East peace agreement before it leaves the stage, early next year...”
The Art World
Many-Coloured Glass, by Peter Schjeldahl
Page 124
"By the lights of many in the international art world, Gerhard Richter and Sigmar Polke are the leading painters of our day...”
The Theatre
The Fight Back, by John Lahr
Page 128
""Up, Odets!!" Clifford Odets cheered himself on in his diary in 1940...”
The Sky Line
The Heatherwick Effect, by Paul Goldberger
Page 130
"For the past few years, an office development...”
[Compiled by Mayank Austen Soofi]
Check out in The New Yorker, issue dated May 12, 2008
The Talk of The Town
The Bench, Fan Feud, by Tim Wu
Page 42
"Once upon a time, a talented weaver...”
The Talk of The Town
Moonlighting Dept., Word Feast, by Lauren Collins
Page 44
"When Christopher Russell, a captain at Gramercy Tavern for many years...”
The Talk Of The Town
Next Generation Dept., Amanuensis, by Jeffrey Toobin
Page 46
"There was a long pause before Ted Sorensen..."
The Financial Page
The Open Secret Of Success, by James Surowiecki
Page 48
"In the current atmosphere of economic tumult, the announcement that Toyota sold a hundred and sixty thousand more cars than General Motors in the first three months of this year..."
Annals Of Innovation
In The Air, by Malcolm Gladwell
Page 50
"Nathan Myhrvold met Jack Horner on the set of the "Jurassic Park" sequel in 1996."
Letter From Alaska
Song Of The Earth, by Alex Ross
Page 76
"On a recent trip to the Alaskan interior...”
The World Of Fashion
Pixel Perfect, by Lauren Collins
Page 94
"For a charity auction few years back...”
The Critics
I Have To Ask, by Nicholas Lemann
Page 82
"Barack Obama walked on to the set of "The View" a few weeks ago...”
Briefly Noted
The Hebrew Republic
Page 123
"The Bush Administration's fervent desire to broker a Middle East peace agreement before it leaves the stage, early next year...”
The Art World
Many-Coloured Glass, by Peter Schjeldahl
Page 124
"By the lights of many in the international art world, Gerhard Richter and Sigmar Polke are the leading painters of our day...”
The Theatre
The Fight Back, by John Lahr
Page 128
""Up, Odets!!" Clifford Odets cheered himself on in his diary in 1940...”
The Sky Line
The Heatherwick Effect, by Paul Goldberger
Page 130
"For the past few years, an office development...”
Friday, September 26, 2008
Exposed - The New Yorker, April 21, 2008
Do The New Yorker editors encourage a standard opening phrase (fine-weather & day-time tricks) in their articles?
[Compiled by Mayank Austen Soofi]
Check out in The New Yorker, issue dated April 21, 2008
The Talk of The Town
Comment, Mr.And Ms. Spoken, by Hendrik Hertzberg
Page 43
"When the footage surfaced showing that Hillary Clinton, contrary to what she had been claiming in campaign speeches, had not been obliged to duck and run from sniper fire during her visit to Bosnia in 1996...”
The Talk of The Town
Gender Dept., Goodbye Again, by Ariel Levy
Page 44
"Robin Morgan was flopping around her apartment the other day...”
The Talk Of The Town
Retrospectives, Cover Guy, by Nick Paumgarten
Page 46
"The Big Idea at breakfast last week..."
The Talk Of The Town
Real Estate Dept., You Say Stanton, by Kelly Bare
Page 48
"In 1974, Immy Humes, a high-school senior..."
The Financial Page
Iceland's Deep Freeze, by James Surowiecki
Page 50
"By now, we're all familiar..."
Personal History
A Dip In The Cold, by Lynne Cox
Page 52
"In June, 1972, I flew over the..."
The Natural World
Tigerland, by Caroline Alexander
Page 66
"The old man stepped onto our boat out of the utter blackness that falls between the abrupt fall of twilight, at five o’clock...”
Annals of Anthropology
Vengeance Is Ours, by Jared Diamond
Page 74
"In 1992, when Daniel Wemp was about twenty-two year old...”
Our Local Correspondents
Up And Then Down, by Nick Paumgarten
Page 106
"The longest smoke break of Nicholas White’s life began at around eleven o’clock on a Friday night in October, 1999...”
Fiction
The Repatriates, by Sana Krasikov
Page 87
"The last days of Grisha and Lera Arsenyev's marriage...”
Briefly Noted
Artists in Exile
Page 131
"During the first half of twentieth century, thousands of artists...”
Briefly Noted
Light Years
Page 131
"When Moore, a novelist, was growing up in Hawaii, in the early fifties, it still took five days...”
Briefly Noted
Panther Soup
Page 131
"Gimlette has written a travelogue of a vanished place, the "great wheeled city" of more than two million American soldiers that rolled up from Marseilles in 1944...”
[Compiled by Mayank Austen Soofi]
Check out in The New Yorker, issue dated April 21, 2008
The Talk of The Town
Comment, Mr.And Ms. Spoken, by Hendrik Hertzberg
Page 43
"When the footage surfaced showing that Hillary Clinton, contrary to what she had been claiming in campaign speeches, had not been obliged to duck and run from sniper fire during her visit to Bosnia in 1996...”
The Talk of The Town
Gender Dept., Goodbye Again, by Ariel Levy
Page 44
"Robin Morgan was flopping around her apartment the other day...”
The Talk Of The Town
Retrospectives, Cover Guy, by Nick Paumgarten
Page 46
"The Big Idea at breakfast last week..."
The Talk Of The Town
Real Estate Dept., You Say Stanton, by Kelly Bare
Page 48
"In 1974, Immy Humes, a high-school senior..."
The Financial Page
Iceland's Deep Freeze, by James Surowiecki
Page 50
"By now, we're all familiar..."
Personal History
A Dip In The Cold, by Lynne Cox
Page 52
"In June, 1972, I flew over the..."
The Natural World
Tigerland, by Caroline Alexander
Page 66
"The old man stepped onto our boat out of the utter blackness that falls between the abrupt fall of twilight, at five o’clock...”
Annals of Anthropology
Vengeance Is Ours, by Jared Diamond
Page 74
"In 1992, when Daniel Wemp was about twenty-two year old...”
Our Local Correspondents
Up And Then Down, by Nick Paumgarten
Page 106
"The longest smoke break of Nicholas White’s life began at around eleven o’clock on a Friday night in October, 1999...”
Fiction
The Repatriates, by Sana Krasikov
Page 87
"The last days of Grisha and Lera Arsenyev's marriage...”
Briefly Noted
Artists in Exile
Page 131
"During the first half of twentieth century, thousands of artists...”
Briefly Noted
Light Years
Page 131
"When Moore, a novelist, was growing up in Hawaii, in the early fifties, it still took five days...”
Briefly Noted
Panther Soup
Page 131
"Gimlette has written a travelogue of a vanished place, the "great wheeled city" of more than two million American soldiers that rolled up from Marseilles in 1944...”
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Exposed - The New Yorker, Aug. 11 & 18, 2008
Do The New Yorker editors encourage a standard opening phrase (fine-weather & day-time tricks) in their articles?
[Compiled by Mayank Austen Soofi]
Check out in The New Yorker, issue dated August 11 & 18, 2008
The Talk of The Town
Comment, Changing Lanes, by Elizabeth Kolbert
Page 27
"Late last month, Senator John McCain went up with a new television ad…”
The Talk of The Town
Wind On Capitol Hill, Buddy Song, by Lizzie Widdicombe
Page 30
"Several weeks ago, John McCain revealed...”
The Talk Of The Town
The Boards, Hippie Rock, by Michael Schulman
Page 32
"James Rado has been spending a lot of time..."
The Financial Page
The Permission Problem, by James Surowiecki
Page 34
"In the second decade of the twentieth century..."
Letter From Plant City, Florida
The Strawberry Girls, by Anne Hull
Page 36
"On Sunday last February, a young woman..."
Shouts & Murmurs
Pollster Reports Nightmare, by Bruce McCall
Page 45
"A CBS/Pravda/Farmer's Almanac/ "Avatar: The Last Airbender" poll released today indicates that yesterday...”
Medical Dispatch
Superbugs, by Jerome Groopman
Page 46
"In August, 2000, Dr. Roger Wetherbee, an infectious-disease expert...”
Annals Of Crime
The Chameleon, by David Grann
Page 66
"On May 3, 2005, in France, a man called an emergency hot line...”
The Critics
Conflict of Interests, by Nicholas Lemann
Page 86
"In a year saturated with political conversation...”
Briefly Noted
Callas Kissed Me...Lenny Too
Page 93
"John Gruen, a Jewish refugee from Europe and former G.I. came to New York in 1949...”
[Compiled by Mayank Austen Soofi]
Check out in The New Yorker, issue dated August 11 & 18, 2008
The Talk of The Town
Comment, Changing Lanes, by Elizabeth Kolbert
Page 27
"Late last month, Senator John McCain went up with a new television ad…”
The Talk of The Town
Wind On Capitol Hill, Buddy Song, by Lizzie Widdicombe
Page 30
"Several weeks ago, John McCain revealed...”
The Talk Of The Town
The Boards, Hippie Rock, by Michael Schulman
Page 32
"James Rado has been spending a lot of time..."
The Financial Page
The Permission Problem, by James Surowiecki
Page 34
"In the second decade of the twentieth century..."
Letter From Plant City, Florida
The Strawberry Girls, by Anne Hull
Page 36
"On Sunday last February, a young woman..."
Shouts & Murmurs
Pollster Reports Nightmare, by Bruce McCall
Page 45
"A CBS/Pravda/Farmer's Almanac/ "Avatar: The Last Airbender" poll released today indicates that yesterday...”
Medical Dispatch
Superbugs, by Jerome Groopman
Page 46
"In August, 2000, Dr. Roger Wetherbee, an infectious-disease expert...”
Annals Of Crime
The Chameleon, by David Grann
Page 66
"On May 3, 2005, in France, a man called an emergency hot line...”
The Critics
Conflict of Interests, by Nicholas Lemann
Page 86
"In a year saturated with political conversation...”
Briefly Noted
Callas Kissed Me...Lenny Too
Page 93
"John Gruen, a Jewish refugee from Europe and former G.I. came to New York in 1949...”
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Exposed - The New Yorker, Aug. 25, 2008
Do The New Yorker editors encourage a standard opening phrase (fine-weather & day-time tricks) in their articles?
[Compiled by Mayank Austen Soofi]
Check out in The New Yorker, issue dated August 25, 2008
The Talk of The Town
Comment, Boundary Issues, by David Remnick
Page 21
"On a bright September day in 1993,not long before he ended his two decades in exile…”
The Talk of The Town
Ink, Hit Man, by Ben McGrath
Page 22
"Jerry Corsi, from New Jersey, picked up his phone in Room 2743 at the Hilton, on Sixth Avenue, last Wednesday afternoon...”
The Talk Of The Town
Real Man Dept., Where's The Beef?, by Lizzie Widdicombe
Page 24
"As our thoughts turn to Denver, it's tempting to imagine that the political stagecraft on view will be different this time - that after eight years of watching our leaders..."
Shouts & Murmurs
Up Next, by John Kenney
Page 31
"Graphic onscreen: Twenty-two minutes until John Kenney."
Personal History
Sonic Youth, by John Adams
Page 32
"In 1972, several months after I completed..."
Letter From Rangoon
Drowning, by George Pecker
Page 40
"When night falls in Rangoon...”
The Critics
Hello, Columbus, by Paul Goldberger
Page 70
"Huntington Hartford's old Gallery of Modern Art - the white marble bonbon that stood at 2 Columbus Circle from 1964 until a couple of years ago...”
Books
The Forbidden World, by Joan Acocella
Page 76
"In 1600, Rome's Campo de Fori, now a nice plaza...”
Briefly Noted
The Challenge
Page 81
"In November, 2004, thirty minutes after a militray commission...”
[Compiled by Mayank Austen Soofi]
Check out in The New Yorker, issue dated August 25, 2008
The Talk of The Town
Comment, Boundary Issues, by David Remnick
Page 21
"On a bright September day in 1993,not long before he ended his two decades in exile…”
The Talk of The Town
Ink, Hit Man, by Ben McGrath
Page 22
"Jerry Corsi, from New Jersey, picked up his phone in Room 2743 at the Hilton, on Sixth Avenue, last Wednesday afternoon...”
The Talk Of The Town
Real Man Dept., Where's The Beef?, by Lizzie Widdicombe
Page 24
"As our thoughts turn to Denver, it's tempting to imagine that the political stagecraft on view will be different this time - that after eight years of watching our leaders..."
Shouts & Murmurs
Up Next, by John Kenney
Page 31
"Graphic onscreen: Twenty-two minutes until John Kenney."
Personal History
Sonic Youth, by John Adams
Page 32
"In 1972, several months after I completed..."
Letter From Rangoon
Drowning, by George Pecker
Page 40
"When night falls in Rangoon...”
The Critics
Hello, Columbus, by Paul Goldberger
Page 70
"Huntington Hartford's old Gallery of Modern Art - the white marble bonbon that stood at 2 Columbus Circle from 1964 until a couple of years ago...”
Books
The Forbidden World, by Joan Acocella
Page 76
"In 1600, Rome's Campo de Fori, now a nice plaza...”
Briefly Noted
The Challenge
Page 81
"In November, 2004, thirty minutes after a militray commission...”
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Exposed -The New Yorker, Sept.8, 2008
Do The New Yorker editors encourage a standard opening phrase (fine-weather & day-time tricks) in their articles?
[Compiled by Mayank Austen Soofi]
Check out in The New Yorker, issue dated September 8, 2008
The Talk of The Town
Comment, Conventional Battle, by David Remnick
Page 19
"In the summer of 1960, Norman Mailer took an assignment…”
The Talk of The Town
The Home Front, Vets For Democrats, by George Packer
Page 21
"Last Wednesday, on the morning of Securing America's Future day at the...”
The Talk Of The Town
Woulda Shoulda Coulda, The Bill And Hill Era, by Hendrik Hertzberg
Page 21
"The Clinton Era at the Democratic National Convention (and two days out of a four-day event is an era, maybe an epoch,possibly an age) dawned at 8:30 P.M., Mountain Time, on Tuesday."
The Talk Of The Town
Sisterhood Dept., Convert, by Dorothy Wickenden
Page 22
"Rosalind Wyman, seventy-seven years old..."
The Talk Of The Town
Away Team, Party Spoilers, by Ryan Lizza
Page 23
"Tucker Bounds and Michael Goldfarb, two of John McCain's top media operatives, were bent over laptops last Wednesday night..."
The Political Scene
Party Faithful, by Peter J. Boyer
Page 24
"In the autumn of 1998, when Karl Rove...”
A Reporter At Large
The General's Dilemma, by Steve Coll
Page 34
"Early in 2007, when David Petraeus became...”
Briefly Noted
Twenty Fragments of a Ravenous Youth
Page 75
"Guo's debut novel, first published eleven years ago in China...”
Briefly Noted
Anonymity
Page 75
"In England, the use of the word "anonymous" to describe a literary work dates only from the sixteenth century, but by the end of the eighteenth seventy percent of all novels were published in...”
[Compiled by Mayank Austen Soofi]
Check out in The New Yorker, issue dated September 8, 2008
The Talk of The Town
Comment, Conventional Battle, by David Remnick
Page 19
"In the summer of 1960, Norman Mailer took an assignment…”
The Talk of The Town
The Home Front, Vets For Democrats, by George Packer
Page 21
"Last Wednesday, on the morning of Securing America's Future day at the...”
The Talk Of The Town
Woulda Shoulda Coulda, The Bill And Hill Era, by Hendrik Hertzberg
Page 21
"The Clinton Era at the Democratic National Convention (and two days out of a four-day event is an era, maybe an epoch,possibly an age) dawned at 8:30 P.M., Mountain Time, on Tuesday."
The Talk Of The Town
Sisterhood Dept., Convert, by Dorothy Wickenden
Page 22
"Rosalind Wyman, seventy-seven years old..."
The Talk Of The Town
Away Team, Party Spoilers, by Ryan Lizza
Page 23
"Tucker Bounds and Michael Goldfarb, two of John McCain's top media operatives, were bent over laptops last Wednesday night..."
The Political Scene
Party Faithful, by Peter J. Boyer
Page 24
"In the autumn of 1998, when Karl Rove...”
A Reporter At Large
The General's Dilemma, by Steve Coll
Page 34
"Early in 2007, when David Petraeus became...”
Briefly Noted
Twenty Fragments of a Ravenous Youth
Page 75
"Guo's debut novel, first published eleven years ago in China...”
Briefly Noted
Anonymity
Page 75
"In England, the use of the word "anonymous" to describe a literary work dates only from the sixteenth century, but by the end of the eighteenth seventy percent of all novels were published in...”
Friday, September 19, 2008
Exposed - The New Yorker, Sept. 15, 2008
Do The New Yorker editors encourage a standard opening phrase (fine-weather & day-time tricks) in their articles?
[Compiled by Mayank Austen Soofi]
Check out in The New Yorker, issue dated September 15, 2008
The Talk of The Town
Comment, Let It Rain, by Hendrik Hertzberg
Page 29
"A couple of weeks before August 28th -- the night that Barack Obama accepted…”
The Talk of The Town
Dept.Of Regeneration, Act Your Age, by Lizzie Widdicombe
Page 30
"Last week, in St. Paul, a band of antiwar protestors...”
The Talk Of The Town
Good Fences Dept., Naysayer, by Ryan Lizza
Page 33
"Two Fridays ago, Lyda Green, the president of the…”
Letter From Beijing
The Home Team, by Peter Hessler
Page 36
"The night before the opening ceremonies of the 2008 Olympics…”
Our Local Correspondents
A Cloud Of Smoke, by Jennifer Kahn
Page 44
"In January, 2006, shortly after James Zadroga died…”
The Political Scene
The Lonesome Trail, by Ariel Levy
Page 53
"Earlier this year, a town-hall meeting at the...”
Pop Music
Re-start, by Sasha Frrrere-Jones
Page 94
"Last December, a friend and I went to a release party…”
[Compiled by Mayank Austen Soofi]
Check out in The New Yorker, issue dated September 15, 2008
The Talk of The Town
Comment, Let It Rain, by Hendrik Hertzberg
Page 29
"A couple of weeks before August 28th -- the night that Barack Obama accepted…”
The Talk of The Town
Dept.Of Regeneration, Act Your Age, by Lizzie Widdicombe
Page 30
"Last week, in St. Paul, a band of antiwar protestors...”
The Talk Of The Town
Good Fences Dept., Naysayer, by Ryan Lizza
Page 33
"Two Fridays ago, Lyda Green, the president of the…”
Letter From Beijing
The Home Team, by Peter Hessler
Page 36
"The night before the opening ceremonies of the 2008 Olympics…”
Our Local Correspondents
A Cloud Of Smoke, by Jennifer Kahn
Page 44
"In January, 2006, shortly after James Zadroga died…”
The Political Scene
The Lonesome Trail, by Ariel Levy
Page 53
"Earlier this year, a town-hall meeting at the...”
Pop Music
Re-start, by Sasha Frrrere-Jones
Page 94
"Last December, a friend and I went to a release party…”
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Exposed - The New Yorker April 28, 2008
Do The New Yorker editors encourage a standard opening phrase (fine-weather & day-time tricks) in their articles?
[Compiled by Mayank Austen Soofi]
Check out in The New Yorker, issue dated April 28, 2008
The Talk of The Town
Comment, Bitter Patter, by Hendrik Hertzberg
Page 21
"Last Wednesday's two-hour televised smackdown in Philadelphia…”
Annals Of Surveillance
State Secrets, by Patrick Radden Keefe
Page 28
"One Friday afternoon in August, 2004, a Washington, D.C., attorney named...”
Life And Letters
Restoration Drama, by Rebecca Mead
Page 35
"Stephanie Copeland, the President of the Edith Wharton Restoration, was hoping for sunshine on the April morning, two years ago…”
The Critics
Books, Arms And The Man, by Daniel Mendelsohn
Page 72
"History - the rational and methodical study of the human past - was invented by a single man just under twenty-five hundred years ago; just under twenty five years ago, when I was…”
The Theatre
Mother Of The Bride, by Hilton Als
Page 84
""A Catered Affair" (at the Walter Kerr) is a musical based on Paddy Chayefsky's 1955 teleplay…”
[Compiled by Mayank Austen Soofi]
Check out in The New Yorker, issue dated April 28, 2008
The Talk of The Town
Comment, Bitter Patter, by Hendrik Hertzberg
Page 21
"Last Wednesday's two-hour televised smackdown in Philadelphia…”
Annals Of Surveillance
State Secrets, by Patrick Radden Keefe
Page 28
"One Friday afternoon in August, 2004, a Washington, D.C., attorney named...”
Life And Letters
Restoration Drama, by Rebecca Mead
Page 35
"Stephanie Copeland, the President of the Edith Wharton Restoration, was hoping for sunshine on the April morning, two years ago…”
The Critics
Books, Arms And The Man, by Daniel Mendelsohn
Page 72
"History - the rational and methodical study of the human past - was invented by a single man just under twenty-five hundred years ago; just under twenty five years ago, when I was…”
The Theatre
Mother Of The Bride, by Hilton Als
Page 84
""A Catered Affair" (at the Walter Kerr) is a musical based on Paddy Chayefsky's 1955 teleplay…”
Monday, September 15, 2008
Exposed - The New Yorker, July 21, 2008
Do The New Yorker editors encourage a standard opening phrase (fine-weather & day-time tricks) in their articles?
[Compiled by Mayank Austen Soofi]
Check out in The New Yorker, issue dated July 21, 2008
The Talk of The Town
The Spiritual Life, H-Bloo On A-Rod, by Ben McGrath
Page 28
"Shortly before his regular teatime, one day last week, the Yale Literature professor…”
The Talk of The Town
Ink, Isn't It Romantic?, by Rebecca Mead
Page 29
"The plot of "The Romantics", a new novel by Galt Niederhoffer, unfolds during the weekend wedding of Lila Hyes...”
Annals Of Science
Surfing The Universe, by Benjamin Wallace-Wells
Page 32
"In June, 2007, a thirty-nine-year-old unemployed physicist named…”
The Political Scene
Making It, by Ryan Lizza
Page 49
"One day in 1995, Barack Obama went to see his alderman…”
Lives And Letters
The Lion And The Mouse, by Jill Lepore
Page 66
"Anne Carroll Moore was born long ago but not so far away, in Limerick, Maine, in 1871…”
Fiction
Yurt, by Sarah Shun-Lien Bynum
Page 75
"A year ago, Ms. Duffy English and history teacher, had come very close to losing it...”
The Critics
Turf War, by Elizabeth Kolbert
Page 82
"In 1841, Andrew Jackson Downing published the first landscape-gardening book…”
Briefly Noted
City of Thieves
Page 87
"In the six years since his criticially praised debut, "The 25th Hour", Benioff has…”
Briefly Noted
Night Wraps the Sky: Writings by and about Mayakovsky
Page 87
"At the height of his fame, in the nineteen-twenties, the poet…”
On Television
The Road To Baghdad, by Nancy Franklin
Page 90
""Generation Kill," a new miniseries on HBO, is based on a 2004 book…"
[Compiled by Mayank Austen Soofi]
Check out in The New Yorker, issue dated July 21, 2008
The Talk of The Town
The Spiritual Life, H-Bloo On A-Rod, by Ben McGrath
Page 28
"Shortly before his regular teatime, one day last week, the Yale Literature professor…”
The Talk of The Town
Ink, Isn't It Romantic?, by Rebecca Mead
Page 29
"The plot of "The Romantics", a new novel by Galt Niederhoffer, unfolds during the weekend wedding of Lila Hyes...”
Annals Of Science
Surfing The Universe, by Benjamin Wallace-Wells
Page 32
"In June, 2007, a thirty-nine-year-old unemployed physicist named…”
The Political Scene
Making It, by Ryan Lizza
Page 49
"One day in 1995, Barack Obama went to see his alderman…”
Lives And Letters
The Lion And The Mouse, by Jill Lepore
Page 66
"Anne Carroll Moore was born long ago but not so far away, in Limerick, Maine, in 1871…”
Fiction
Yurt, by Sarah Shun-Lien Bynum
Page 75
"A year ago, Ms. Duffy English and history teacher, had come very close to losing it...”
The Critics
Turf War, by Elizabeth Kolbert
Page 82
"In 1841, Andrew Jackson Downing published the first landscape-gardening book…”
Briefly Noted
City of Thieves
Page 87
"In the six years since his criticially praised debut, "The 25th Hour", Benioff has…”
Briefly Noted
Night Wraps the Sky: Writings by and about Mayakovsky
Page 87
"At the height of his fame, in the nineteen-twenties, the poet…”
On Television
The Road To Baghdad, by Nancy Franklin
Page 90
""Generation Kill," a new miniseries on HBO, is based on a 2004 book…"
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Exposed - The New Yorker, Sept. 1, 2008
Do The New Yorker editors encourage a standard opening phrase (fine-weather & day-time tricks) in their articles?
[Compiled by Mayank Austen Soofi]
Check out in The New Yorker, issue dated September 1, 2008
The Talk of The Town
Comment, Attack-Dod Days, by Hendrik Hertzberg
Page 53
"The week before the week before this week’s scheduled gathering…”
The Talk of The Town
Studio Visit, Lost And Found, by Lauren Collins
Page 56
"The painter Kehinde Wiley first traveled to Nigeria in 1997.”
The Political Scene
The Code Of The West, by Ryan Lizza
Page 62
"One day in early August, Bill Ritter, Jr., the governor of Colorado, met with Steve Feld…”
Letter From Beijing
Fun And Games, by Anthony Lane
Page 68
"The morning of Friday, August 15th, was one of unaccustomed freshness in Beijing…”
Annals Of Retail
Stop, Thief!, by John Colapinto
Page 74
"On a recent morning, a dapper man in his fifties…”
Fiction
Gorse Is Not People, by Janet Frame
Page 119
"Do you remember your twenty-first birthday?”
The Theatre
Three’s Company, by Hilton Als
Page 130
"In 1969, Larry Neal, a black writer, published an essay titled…”
[Compiled by Mayank Austen Soofi]
Check out in The New Yorker, issue dated September 1, 2008
The Talk of The Town
Comment, Attack-Dod Days, by Hendrik Hertzberg
Page 53
"The week before the week before this week’s scheduled gathering…”
The Talk of The Town
Studio Visit, Lost And Found, by Lauren Collins
Page 56
"The painter Kehinde Wiley first traveled to Nigeria in 1997.”
The Political Scene
The Code Of The West, by Ryan Lizza
Page 62
"One day in early August, Bill Ritter, Jr., the governor of Colorado, met with Steve Feld…”
Letter From Beijing
Fun And Games, by Anthony Lane
Page 68
"The morning of Friday, August 15th, was one of unaccustomed freshness in Beijing…”
Annals Of Retail
Stop, Thief!, by John Colapinto
Page 74
"On a recent morning, a dapper man in his fifties…”
Fiction
Gorse Is Not People, by Janet Frame
Page 119
"Do you remember your twenty-first birthday?”
The Theatre
Three’s Company, by Hilton Als
Page 130
"In 1969, Larry Neal, a black writer, published an essay titled…”
Exposed - Opening Line Clichés of The New Yorker
Do the New Yorker editors encourage a standard opening phrase in their profiles, fiction, commentaries, reviews and special reports?
[By Mayank Austen Soofi]
Just how do great authors begin their immortal novels? How do their opening lines become so celebrated? What is it that aspiring novelists like me should learn in order to seduce readers? As always, one must turn to the The New Yorker magazine -- the Bible of budding English-language writers -- for guidance. This blogger discovered whole new tricks of "opening lines" perfected by the magazine in its long 82-year history. But confessions first - it is not my discovery. I was tipped by an American friend!
Perhaps a careful The New Yorker reader is already aware of certain "New-Yorkerish" opening keywords popular among the magazine writers: "One night…"; "In the fall of 2001…"; "During the cold evening of…"; "In the seventeen-seventies…"; "After three decades of exile…"; "In 1947…"; "Recently..."; "In the summer of 1956…"; "Following the day after May 9, 2003…"; "In the cool, sunny day of…"
Here are opening phrases quoted from the published articles archived in the magazine's website:
Dept. of Popular Culture
Banksy Was Here; by Lauren Collins
May 14, 2007
"Around 1993, Banksy's graffiti began appearing on trains and walls around Bristol …"
Dept. of Archeology
Fragmentary Knowledge; by John Seabrook
May 14, 2007
"In October, 2005, a truck pulled up outside the National Archeological Museum in Athens ..."
Annals of Communications
Critical Mass; by Ken Auletta
May 14, 2007
"On a blustery, overcast day early this year, P.R. representatives from Sprint and Samsung stopped by the Washington bureau of the Wall Street Journal…"
Profiles
The Conciliator; by Larissa MacFarquhar
May 7, 2007
"Begin in farm country, late last summer, no particular day."
A Critic at Large
In the Territory; by Hilton Als
May 7, 2007
"November 29, 1967, a tart, sunny day in Plainfield, Massachusetts, some thirty miles north of Smith College, in the Berkshires..."
Books Briefly Noted
The Last Mughal
May 14, 2007
"In 1857, after a number of high-caste Hindu sepoys rose up against their colonial masters..."
Letter from London
The David Kelly Affair; by John Cassidy
December 8, 2003
"Shortly after 3 p.m. on Thursday, July 17, 2003, David Kelly, a fifty-nine-year-old scientist employed by the British government, walked out of his house..."
Comment
Hell Week; by David Remnick
November 7, 2005
"Last Monday, at the very start of George W. Bush's week of misery, Thomas M. DeFrank, the Washington bureau chief of the Daily News, published a story…"
Letter from Europe
Round One; by Jane Kramer
April 23, 2007
"Late one night toward the end of March, after a day spent listening to too many Frenchmen talk politics, I called room service..."
The Financial Page
It's the Workforce, Stupid! by James Surowiecki
April 30, 2007
"In the nineteen-nineties, with U.S. corporations in the midst of what the Times called "the downsizing of America," a new term appeared…"
If only The New Yorker had started earlier it could have helped the 19th century authors too. Of course, the celebrated opening lines would have been a little different. For instance:
Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities
"Not long ago, one cold day in the fall, it was the best of times, it was the worst of times… "
Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice
"During the flushed spring of an English countryside, it was a universally acknowledged truth that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife."
Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace
"One weekend evening in a bland, uptight St. Petersburg drawing room, Anna Pavlovna Scherer, maid of honor and favorite of the Empress Marya Fedorovna conceded that Genoa and Lucca had become family estates of the Bonaparte's."
Emily Bronte, Wuthering Heights
"On the evening after the rainiest summer day, I returned from a visit to my landlord - the solitary neighbour that I shall be troubled with."
Jane Austen, Emma
"Born in a winter night, around twenty-one years ago, Emma Woodhouse -- handsome, clever, and rich -- grew up in the world with very little to distress or vex her."
But such tricks are not The New Yorker copyrights. Many great writers remain guilty of fine-weather & day-time tricks. Sample these authentic opening lines:
Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Crime and Punishment
"On an exceptionally hot evening early in July a young man came out of the garret in which he lodged in S. Place and walked slowly, as though in hesitation, towards K. bridge."
Daphne du Maurier, Rebecca
"Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again."
Franz Kafka, The Metamorphosis
"As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect."
Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar
"It was a queer, sultry summer, the summer they electrocuted the Rosenbergs, and I didn't know what I was doing in New York."
George Orwell, 1984
"It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen."
So whether it is a rainy summer afternoon of 2007 or a crispy evening in the winters of 1938, you can easily write that wow! first line of your debut novel.
When I shared these startling discoveries with Mr Gaurav Sood, a fellow book-lover, he pointed out that the dates-day introduction provides immediacy to the piece. "It makes the reader feel close to the scene as if she is being made part of a secret," he said. But isn't it clichéd? Doesn't it make the writing formulaic? "But then standards to judge writing too have become formulaic," Mr Sood said.
[By Mayank Austen Soofi]
Just how do great authors begin their immortal novels? How do their opening lines become so celebrated? What is it that aspiring novelists like me should learn in order to seduce readers? As always, one must turn to the The New Yorker magazine -- the Bible of budding English-language writers -- for guidance. This blogger discovered whole new tricks of "opening lines" perfected by the magazine in its long 82-year history. But confessions first - it is not my discovery. I was tipped by an American friend!
Perhaps a careful The New Yorker reader is already aware of certain "New-Yorkerish" opening keywords popular among the magazine writers: "One night…"; "In the fall of 2001…"; "During the cold evening of…"; "In the seventeen-seventies…"; "After three decades of exile…"; "In 1947…"; "Recently..."; "In the summer of 1956…"; "Following the day after May 9, 2003…"; "In the cool, sunny day of…"
Here are opening phrases quoted from the published articles archived in the magazine's website:
Dept. of Popular Culture
Banksy Was Here; by Lauren Collins
May 14, 2007
"Around 1993, Banksy's graffiti began appearing on trains and walls around Bristol …"
Dept. of Archeology
Fragmentary Knowledge; by John Seabrook
May 14, 2007
"In October, 2005, a truck pulled up outside the National Archeological Museum in Athens ..."
Annals of Communications
Critical Mass; by Ken Auletta
May 14, 2007
"On a blustery, overcast day early this year, P.R. representatives from Sprint and Samsung stopped by the Washington bureau of the Wall Street Journal…"
Profiles
The Conciliator; by Larissa MacFarquhar
May 7, 2007
"Begin in farm country, late last summer, no particular day."
A Critic at Large
In the Territory; by Hilton Als
May 7, 2007
"November 29, 1967, a tart, sunny day in Plainfield, Massachusetts, some thirty miles north of Smith College, in the Berkshires..."
Books Briefly Noted
The Last Mughal
May 14, 2007
"In 1857, after a number of high-caste Hindu sepoys rose up against their colonial masters..."
Letter from London
The David Kelly Affair; by John Cassidy
December 8, 2003
"Shortly after 3 p.m. on Thursday, July 17, 2003, David Kelly, a fifty-nine-year-old scientist employed by the British government, walked out of his house..."
Comment
Hell Week; by David Remnick
November 7, 2005
"Last Monday, at the very start of George W. Bush's week of misery, Thomas M. DeFrank, the Washington bureau chief of the Daily News, published a story…"
Letter from Europe
Round One; by Jane Kramer
April 23, 2007
"Late one night toward the end of March, after a day spent listening to too many Frenchmen talk politics, I called room service..."
The Financial Page
It's the Workforce, Stupid! by James Surowiecki
April 30, 2007
"In the nineteen-nineties, with U.S. corporations in the midst of what the Times called "the downsizing of America," a new term appeared…"
If only The New Yorker had started earlier it could have helped the 19th century authors too. Of course, the celebrated opening lines would have been a little different. For instance:
Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities
"Not long ago, one cold day in the fall, it was the best of times, it was the worst of times… "
Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice
"During the flushed spring of an English countryside, it was a universally acknowledged truth that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife."
Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace
"One weekend evening in a bland, uptight St. Petersburg drawing room, Anna Pavlovna Scherer, maid of honor and favorite of the Empress Marya Fedorovna conceded that Genoa and Lucca had become family estates of the Bonaparte's."
Emily Bronte, Wuthering Heights
"On the evening after the rainiest summer day, I returned from a visit to my landlord - the solitary neighbour that I shall be troubled with."
Jane Austen, Emma
"Born in a winter night, around twenty-one years ago, Emma Woodhouse -- handsome, clever, and rich -- grew up in the world with very little to distress or vex her."
But such tricks are not The New Yorker copyrights. Many great writers remain guilty of fine-weather & day-time tricks. Sample these authentic opening lines:
Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Crime and Punishment
"On an exceptionally hot evening early in July a young man came out of the garret in which he lodged in S. Place and walked slowly, as though in hesitation, towards K. bridge."
Daphne du Maurier, Rebecca
"Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again."
Franz Kafka, The Metamorphosis
"As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect."
Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar
"It was a queer, sultry summer, the summer they electrocuted the Rosenbergs, and I didn't know what I was doing in New York."
George Orwell, 1984
"It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen."
So whether it is a rainy summer afternoon of 2007 or a crispy evening in the winters of 1938, you can easily write that wow! first line of your debut novel.
When I shared these startling discoveries with Mr Gaurav Sood, a fellow book-lover, he pointed out that the dates-day introduction provides immediacy to the piece. "It makes the reader feel close to the scene as if she is being made part of a secret," he said. But isn't it clichéd? Doesn't it make the writing formulaic? "But then standards to judge writing too have become formulaic," Mr Sood said.
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