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Wayward Reporter: Life of A.J. Liebling
Liebling was the best reporter of his generation; he became the conscience of American journalism. The first important writer to work in the area between fiction and objective reporting, where Truman Capote and Norman Mailer followed him.
- GenresBiographyJournalism
368 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1980
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 9, 2021
Liebling is utterly fascinating, and his story rich with events, aphorisms, and brilliant writing (mostly). But the biographer didn't quite deliver, at least for me. I've read biographies better written.
But, or shall I say, BUT, if you want to read about Liebling, it's a good enough read, and is, I believe, the only biography on Liebling.
But don't miss out on Liebling's works, either. He left us some remarkable writings, and they are, mostly, readily available in used book shops and libraries. Some still in print.
A troubled, sad, man; yet driven by compassion - he took to lowlife, and wrote about it with care. And when taking potshots at the pompous, the rich, the privileged, he's unmatched, other than by Gore Vidal.
Working for "The New Yorker" most of his life, Liebling learned to write for an educated audience.
His father sent him to France for a year of study and travel, and that, for Liebling, began a lifelong love affair with France and its food. As a war correspondent, he moved across North Africa, and then on a D-day landing craft; he saw bloodshed and suffering. He knew the world from the bottom side up.
He loved boxing, and no one could ever excel his ability to describe a fight - the passions, the intelligence, the skill and tact and stamina required. Having myself grown up on the Friday Night Fights, I knew a good many of the names recalled in this biography.
And food - oh my, gargantuan quantities - from medicare fare to the most exquisite. Some might say he was trying to fill up his life with what he otherwise couldn't have. Who knows? In the end, too much food and booze did him in. He died young, age 53, 1963.
His wasn't an easy life - but he loved those close to him, and cared for them.
In some ways, he never achieved the "greatness" he yearned for, but his accomplishments are worthy of the name.
Not the best written of biographies, but Liebling's remarkable life shines on every page.
Worth the read?
Absolutely.
But, or shall I say, BUT, if you want to read about Liebling, it's a good enough read, and is, I believe, the only biography on Liebling.
But don't miss out on Liebling's works, either. He left us some remarkable writings, and they are, mostly, readily available in used book shops and libraries. Some still in print.
A troubled, sad, man; yet driven by compassion - he took to lowlife, and wrote about it with care. And when taking potshots at the pompous, the rich, the privileged, he's unmatched, other than by Gore Vidal.
Working for "The New Yorker" most of his life, Liebling learned to write for an educated audience.
His father sent him to France for a year of study and travel, and that, for Liebling, began a lifelong love affair with France and its food. As a war correspondent, he moved across North Africa, and then on a D-day landing craft; he saw bloodshed and suffering. He knew the world from the bottom side up.
He loved boxing, and no one could ever excel his ability to describe a fight - the passions, the intelligence, the skill and tact and stamina required. Having myself grown up on the Friday Night Fights, I knew a good many of the names recalled in this biography.
And food - oh my, gargantuan quantities - from medicare fare to the most exquisite. Some might say he was trying to fill up his life with what he otherwise couldn't have. Who knows? In the end, too much food and booze did him in. He died young, age 53, 1963.
His wasn't an easy life - but he loved those close to him, and cared for them.
In some ways, he never achieved the "greatness" he yearned for, but his accomplishments are worthy of the name.
Not the best written of biographies, but Liebling's remarkable life shines on every page.
Worth the read?
Absolutely.
March 16, 2007
I really enjoyed reading this, although you don't get much of a sense of Liebling's inner life from it. By the way: his personal life pretty much sucked. Married three times, and each was a disaster. But he kept writing through it all, to our benefit.
July 4, 2022
Liebling, the reporter and writer long associated with the New Yorker, appeared to be forgotten within a decade of his death by journalists attending a convention named for him right there in New York.
Sokolov’s biography honors a writer who treated journalism as literary art and became for a time a master despite physical and personal suffering that likely inhibited what he produced, though that is not to begrudge the works we have.
The finest tribute here might be the care and attention given to Liebling’s craft and how he developed as a writer.
Sokolov’s biography honors a writer who treated journalism as literary art and became for a time a master despite physical and personal suffering that likely inhibited what he produced, though that is not to begrudge the works we have.
The finest tribute here might be the care and attention given to Liebling’s craft and how he developed as a writer.
April 3, 2010
The the glory of the man that was Liebling, and the way reporting ought to be.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews