Customer Reviews

A Matter of Opinion

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A riveting tale of the world of opinion magazines. Not for everyone, perhaps, but if you have ever been interested in what it takes to publish a magazine, this book portrays it well. But the real selling point is that it's beautifully written. He's funny, clever, bright, and charming. You get a serious look at his life as well as his work and it's for this reason that the book is excellent.

This longish chronicle of Mr. Navasky's stewardship of the weekly periodical The Nation is entertaining and satisfying, if a bit too rich in detail. He is an adroit and witty observer and writer, and maintains just enough distance and objectivity as he tells the story of the long-beloved liberal journal of opinion (it was founded in 1865), and how its fate fell into his lap. The magazine couldn't have fallen into more capable hands. A rare commodity, the journal of opinion has a distinguished if rocky history in America, and Navasky capably describes how it survives in a climate permeated by capitalism and the profit motive.

He is anything but a cockeyed optimist; he's been to Harvard Business School, dined with movers and shakers and major philanthropists, and has a good practical head for business; but he has managed to remain a "purist" in the right sense: He stands square on the principle that the editor and the publisher (or benefactor) must not interfere with each other. He has made many famous and influential connections along the way, including with Paul Newman--whose meeting with him, engineered by E. L. Doctorow, makes up one of the more satisfying anecdotes in the book; but he is anything but a name-dropper.

The book tells the story of how Victor Navasky kept the beloved magazine afloat by the force of his wits, always keeping a bemused detachment and a sense of humor, and a seemingly endless series of plausible backup plans. As serious as his subject is--the ability to keep serious and truthful debate available before the thinking public even in the face of well-funded opposition--often strong political opposition--Navasky keeps the tone light and cheery. It's not that he enjoys a good fight; more, that he is a capable navigator, disarming his foes with his intelligence and logic (and undoubtedly, his charm), possessing a good practical sense of what's possible, making his case and usually winning it; and finding ever more resourceful ways to keep the treasured weekly journal alive and even thriving.