The Columnist [Deckle Edge] [Hardcover]

Jeffrey Frank (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 6, 2001

A dark comedy about a somewhat delusional political coliumnist looking back on his like and our times. At a cocktail party, George H. W. Bush encourages Brandon Sladder, the prominent Washington columnist, to write his memoirs. Sladder has, after all, known just about everyone of importance. He has talked on intimate terms with world leaders, been a witness to enormous change, and expressed weighty opinions on important matters of state. He believes that his own life story could add much more than a footnote to our age. But what is meant to be a look back at his life and our times turns out to be far more revealing. The Columnist is Sladder's attempt to burnish his image for posterity. What emerges is something else: the misadventures of an irresistibly loathsome man - self-important, social climbing, dangerously oblivious. He seems to be remarkably destructive to those who know him best - employers, rivals, lovers, and family. In Brandon Sladder, Jeffrey Frank has created one of the most memorable rogues in contemporary fiction.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Frank's debut is a curious blend of ribald, tongue-in-cheek narrative and political tell-all that winds up evoking an odd sense of nostalgia for a bygone era. Former President Bush remarks to pompous, amoral columnist Brandon Sladder that he ought to write a memoir and so Sladder does. Now in his 60s, Sladder has left a trail of sources, lovers, wives and erstwhile colleagues in his wake while climbing to the top of the newspaper heap. His adventures start in his hometown of Buffalo, where he gets his father fired from his job as an insurance salesman by using confidential information from his father's files to break a big story, then capitalizes on his newspaper boss's indiscretion to blackmail his way up the ranks. When the paper is sold, Sladder moves to Washington, D.C., where, before writing for a political magazine and then a major daily, he uses a prostitute to get dirt on local elected officials. Later, it's on to the world of TV and roundtable reporter shows, but the unctuous Sladder's personal life is a mess a merry-go-round of affairs, marriage for money and ill-advised alliances with the constants being his relentless ambition and a remarkable ability to justify his own heinous behavior. Frank's smooth, fast-moving and often hilarious prose makes this a quick read, although much of the humor is dark, and the repulsive narrator makes the journey a bit thorny. The political material is enlightening and well delivered, as Sladder reveals the way things work within the Beltway in the postwar era. The result is a witty, racy and fast-moving novel that remains compelling despite its odious protagonist. Agent, Tina Bennett. (June)Forecast: Frank's current job as a New Yorker senior editor will help generate buzz, as will speculation as to which (if any) real columnist his narrator might be based on.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

The innocuous, limp title is the single failure of this searingly satiric portrait of the hyperactive Washington, DC, news scene. Frank, onetime staff member of the Washington Post and its defunct rival, the Washington Star, and currently a senior editor for The New Yorker, has etched with acidic precision the story of Brandon Sladder, a mock maven who latched onto a journalism career with a bit of handy blackmail. Over a period of 40 years or so, this blot trashes two wives, two children, and a multitude of colleagues yet is never perceived as the one rotten apple spoiling the bushel. With pious quotes from Bartlett's, he whines about the trials of his successful life and claims as his confidante any famous person who ever shared an elevator with him. This book will surely be a hit in all the news capitals as insiders try to identify the true names masked behind the socialites, politicos, and other characters. Frank's mudslinging hits a media truth or two, but he plays it for laughs, and so will savvy readers in most public libraries. Barbara Conaty, Library of Congress
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster; First Printing edition (June 6, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743212533
• ISBN-13: 978-0743212533
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,467,309 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars MEET THE PRESS, December 11, 2001

By 

James E. Carroll (Cape Cod, Massachusetts, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Columnist (Hardcover)

Every once in a while you find a book like The Columnist that is more than just a story. Staged as the tell it all autobiography of a Washington syndicated columnist at the nadir of his career, this short novel is both a parable of misguided egos and misplaced values and also a satire of high profile journalism. The rags to riches story of Brandon Sladder, the consummate Washington journalist is told with a reflective message. In its pages, we learn the story of a widely syndicated newspaper columnist who rose from humble beginnings as a city reporter in Buffalo to become the confidant of Presidents and senators; the most sought after dinner guest at Georgetown dinner parties; the witty and engaging TV panelist beamed into millions of American homes every week; and the inquisitive and challenging intellect in love with the power of ideas. But hold on, there is a price to be paid for such fame. In his private life, Sladder is the last to know husband; the estranged son; the forgotten friend; the distant father; and a generally dislikeable figure.

In this well written volume, author Jeffrey Franks examines the less than noble connection between politics and the press. We learn why politicians cultivate members of the press; why political positions often gain momentum with the voters because of a favorable news editor or just a photo opportunity given to a reporter. You will ask yourself whether you are a "source" or a "friend " to a reporter. Author Franks does a fine job of satirizing the fourth estate and its elite ranks. "As my column became more popular, so did I, and I found myself drawn deeper into the social life of Washington. All at once I knew everyone (occasionally I even sensed a small stir when I entered a room)..." These are the thoughts of the novel's main character on the occasion of his 29th birthday; who else could fit into a room with him given the size of that ego?

As I read this book, which at times has some very dark and disturbing passages particularly involving the daughter of the main character, I had to put it down. I can appreciate satire and cynicism with the best of them, but some of the author's attempts to skewer go too far astray to be effective parody. Washingtonians will gobble up this book looking to find some veiled reference to themselves; "journalists" (who will purchase this book but never admit owning it) will sneer at the parody. When you're finished reading this one, you'll shake your head glad that you didn't make Mr. Sladder's acquaintance.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I wish I had written this book., August 21, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Columnist (Hardcover)

Frankly, I am writing this review in the hope that the author, Jeffrey Frank, checks these reviews out from time to time. I know I would if I were clever enough to have written this novel. I loved every minute of it. Three members of our family read it and passed it on to one another because we were so amused by this annoying, self-serving, so-full-of-himself columnist. Even the index is a hoot. Thank you, Mr. Frank, for such great entertainment. I will never again watch the Sunday morning "talking heads" without being reminded of Brandon Sladder.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Chattering And Nattering, August 30, 2001

By 

A Customer - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Columnist (Hardcover)

Frank's novel is short and a bit slight, but is a worthwhile read for any Washingtonian and any obsessive viewer of the Sunday morning chat shows.
In Brandon Sladder, Frank has invented a curious and fascinating antihero. He is venal, craven, and ruthless -- and utterly oblivious to all of this. As he rockets up the Washington journalistic career ladder, he genuinely seems not to know that he is crushing everyone -- family, friends, wives, mentors -- he crosses paths with. For this alone, Sladder is a character worth discovering. His characterization was the strongest part of the book.
It is also interesting to see how Sladder moved up the ranks of punditry, following a career path that rings relatively close to the truth. I did find it a shame, however, that Frank chose to portray Sladder's increasingly conservative views as a sign of his repugnance -- a bit of bias the author does not defend, and that the book did not require.