Staying in Print Panel Discussion at Writers' Week

The next event at Writers' Week that I attended was a panel discussion about the state of literary journalism and journals.

On the panel were Nicholas Spice of the London Review of Books, Olivier Barrot of Senso, Mark Danner of the New York Review of Books, James Bradley, and Malcolm Knox of the Sydney Morning Herald.

Bradley made some interesting comments from an Australian point of view, noting that Australia, with a population of a mere 20 million, fields the second largest Olympics team, yet cannot seem to maintain a quality review of books. It is a problem of both Government funding and also public taste that more money and time is spent on sport than the arts.

Mark Danner noted that most of the "thought leader" publications in the U.S. are bankrolled by wealthy patrons who know that the magazines and journals are going to run at a loss, yet continue to fund them as a form of philanthropy. The major exception he noted was the New York Review of Books, that is self-sustaining, largely due to keeping printing and editorial costs down.

The panel also discussed the move in book review papes away from the literay towards the topical, that current affairs are now more closely covered than before. Danner noted that the climate in the media is one of confrontation rather than contemplation -- ideas are put up in opposition, rather than examined dispassionately.