Critical Crossings: The New York Intellectuals in Postwar America

The New York Critics were a group of writers and thinkers who founded, edited, and wrote for influential magazines such as Partisan Review, Politics, Commentary, and Dissent. They adopted a pragmatic criticism that had a profound influence on the American intellectual community, rejecting ideological, visionary, and romantic outlooks. They were pitted against antagonists such as the Communists and their sympathizers, the Beat writers, and the New Left, and the book explores the paradoxes and dilemmas that confront all intellectuals.

Format: Hardback
Length: 334 pages
Publication date: 19 August 2022
Publisher: University of California Press

The post-World War II era was a period when many American writers turned to criticism as a means of expressing their intellectual ideas. In his book, Neil Jumonville delves into the group of writers and thinkers who founded, edited, and contributed to influential magazines such as Partisan Review, Politics, Commentary, and Dissent. These reviewers and essayists, including Sidney Hook, Irving Howe, Lionel Trilling, Harold Rosenberg, and Daniel Bell, rejected ideological, visionary, and romantic outlooks in favor of a pragmatic criticism that had a significant impact on the American intellectual community. By placing pragmatism at the center of intellectual activity, the New York Critics sought to redefine the role of the intellectual in the postwar world.

However, the New York Critics also embraced a cultural elitism that opposed mass culture. They were willing to confront any form of absolutist thought and found themselves at odds with various opponents, including the Communists, Beat writers, and the New Left, who they perceived as insufficiently rational and analytical to be considered true intellectuals. Jumonville's book explores the paradoxes and dilemmas that confront all intellectuals, making it as much about the essence of being an intellectual as it is about a specific group of thinkers.

This title is part of UC Press' Voices Revived program, which celebrates the University of California Press' commitment to discovering and nurturing exceptional writing. By publishing works that challenge conventional thinking and offer fresh perspectives, UC Press strives to contribute to the intellectual discourse of our time.

Weight: 635g
Dimension: 234 x 156 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780520371873