Reporting Always: Writings from The New Yorker

by Lillian Ross, David Remnick (Foreword)

From the inimitable veteran New Yorker journalist Lillian Ross—a stunning collection of Ross’s iconic New Yorker pieces.

A staff writer for The New Yorker since 1945, Lillian Ross is one of the few journalists who worked for both the magazine’s founding editor, Harold Ross, and its current editor, David Remnick. Ross invented the entertainment profile. She was the first person to write journalism in “scenes” as novelists do, and her profiles are full of humor and details that bring her subjects alive on the page. Her style has been studied and imitated by numerous writers. But there is only one Lillian spirited, funny, factual, and unforgettable.

Reporting Always collects a wide range of Lillian Ross’s New Yorker articles and “Talk of the Town” pieces spanning sixty years, bringing readers into Robin Williams’s living room; Harry Winston’s office; the afterschool hangouts of Manhattan private-school children; the hotel rooms of Ernest Hemingway, John Huston, and Charlie Chaplin; onto the tennis court with John McEnroe; and into the lives of many other famous and not-so-famous characters. Ross’s portraits are filled with rich details that reveal her subjects in amusing and perceptive ways.

A foreword by David Remnick discusses Ross’s trademark style and her important place in the history of The New Yorker .

Genres: Nonfiction, Essays, Journalism, Writing, Biography, History, Womens

368 pages, Hardcover

First published November 10, 2015

About the author

Lillian Ross was an American journalist and author, who was a staff writer at The New Yorker from 1945 until she retired.

Librarians note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Esil · Rating 4 out of 5]

I grew up in a household where copies of the New Yorker were piled high in many corners of the house. Occasionally I glanced at the cartoons, skimmed the odd article, read through the book and movie reviews, but never developed the obsessive relationship both my parents -- and many others I know -- had with the New Yorker. I feel like I partially just made up for that lapse by reading Lilian Ross' Reporting Always straight through in a few days. And I'm quite happy I did so and I really wish I could find a way to mimic her detailed, low key but powerful style in this review. The reproduced articles span over 50 years of her cultural reporting -- including articles on Hemingway, Robin Williams, a diamond trader, the New York Junior League, Fellini, Wes Anderson and many others. In the foreword and her own introduction, we are told that there was initially some reluctance at the New Yorker to having a female reporter, so she was instructed to write from the "we" perspective to avoid disclosure that she conducted interviews on her own. We are also told that she only did stories on people who wanted to be written about, which allowed her to spend a lot of time with her subjects, often becoming friends with them. We are also told that there is an obvious subjectivity to her articles, but that she strove to simply report what she saw and heard. Armed with this perspective and reading all of the collected articles together, I felt like I read a delightful slice of 50 years of American cultural history. Over time, she moves from "we" to "I", but throughout she has a keen detailed eye, that is not judgmental but nevertheless very telling. I found it fun and interesting. It didn't make me regret not reading the stacks and stacks of New Yorkers that surrounded me as I grew up, but I would happily now delve back into time and read more pieces by Ross and others writing for the New Yorker over the same time period. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read an advance copy.

[Tom Stamper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lillian Ross wasted no words about being late because her hair dryer died or she locked herself out of the car. When she meets a subject's family she describes them, but she skips the obvious pleasantries involving herself. When you read a few of theses back to back, you feel like a witness to the events described rather than a reader of another person's experience.

Her long profile of diamond merchant Harry Winston takes place over the course of a year. We learn that Harry spends a large amount to buy a big raw diamond and spends the year cutting and polishing and enjoying it. From his rivals you hear of what a force he is in the diamond business. From his employees you see how much he loves the stones. I thought this would be a dry piece, but it was one of my favorites. Her long piece about the New York Junior league was a snooze though, but that's a rarity among the overall collection.

The most famous piece here is likely her profile of Ernest Hemingway, described elsewhere as a take-down of a pompous clown. I was lucky to read that piece years ago before I knew it's reputation and I was happy to read in David Remnick's forward that Hemingway was just having fun and neither he nor Ross understood the reaction and it didn't hurt their friendship. It's worthwhile.

There is a lot of Hollywood reporting including Part 1 of Picture, the making of John Huston's Red Badge of Courage. Robin Williams gets a few profiles. Fellini at the Lincoln Center. Wes Anderson making Royal Tenneabaums. Clint Eastwood playing jazz and making Mystic River. Al Pacino making his hybrid Richard III. Chaplin looking for an actress to star opposite him in Limelight.

I think we could all do well to see the pretentious “journalist” label dropped and our media return to reporting. It might be enough for people to buy the occasional magazine again.

*According to my Goodreads total this is the 1,000th book I've read. I'm sure I missed some here or there.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of reportage spanning Lillian Ross' amazing 60-plus years of working at The New Yorker magazine, this book was honestly a mixed bag. Ross pioneered a fly-on-the-wall type of writing in which she observed her subjects being themselves, describing seemingly mundane stuff which aims to be revealing, candid and hopefully illuminating. The beginnings of the dreaded “celebrity profile,” and there are several examples of it here with more recent, fluffy pieces on Robin Williams, Clint Eastwood, Gayle King, Ellen Barkin et. al. Ross truly excelled on articles like her 1949 account of the goings-0n at the Miss America pageant, or the utterly charming 1960 effort where she followed around a bunch of jaded high school students from Iowa visiting New York City for the first time. Unfortunately, a lot of her stuff is extremely vapid and dull—such as the Ernest Hemingway profile (sorry, Ernest, not interested in you or your books), or the excerpt from her well-regarded book, Picture (about the making of the 1950s film version of The Red Badge of Courage). There was a lot of criticism over including a lengthy profile of jeweler Harry Winston, originally published over two issues in 1954. I actually found that piece completely fascinating, giving a full portrait of a man who loved his customers and his craft, skillfully navigating the worlds of artistry and commerce with aplomb.

[Sana · Rating 4 out of 5]

read a few pieces for jo542: literary journalism:
- How Do You Like It Now, Gentleman? 4/5
“After you finish a book, you know, you’re dead. But no one knows you’re dead. All they see is the irresponsibility that comes in after the terrible responsibility of writing.”
- Symbol of All We Posess 4/5
- The Yellow Bus 5/5
- Picture, Part I: Throw the Little Old Lady down the Stairs! 3/5

i love ross's writing style!!!

[Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

The film “The French Dispatch” inspired me to read some of the better known writers of New Yorker magazine.

[Gina Dalfonzo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly, I found the quality a little uneven. Some of her profiles were incisive and brilliant, some were just average. One or two (Marsha Williams comes to mind) even read like shilling, which I didn't expect.

[sylph · Rating 4 out of 5]

7/10. It's a mixed bag. She had this deceptively penetrating style that allowed her subject or object to come through without added flowery scent. But it doesn't wholly override the fact that some topics are just more interesting than others.

[Maria Margarida · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uma série de artigos publicados pela jornalista Lilian Ross na revista New Yorker, a qual nunca li. Artigos longos e interessantes (a maioria) mas os curtos, de duas ou três páginas, geralmente não gostei. Talvez fizessem parte de uma determinada seção da revista, não sei dizer porque nunca vi a revista. Dos artigos maiores, gostei muito de vários, como o do toureiro, do concurso de misses, da visita a Nova York de estudantes de ensino médio do Meio-Oeste, enfim, são muito interessantes. No geral, achei um livro desigual, entre artigos bons e muitos descartáveis. Talvez faça mais sentido para fiéis leitores da revista.

[Evan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good selection of some of her best work, with all-time greats such as the essays on Hemingway, Coco Channel, and Fellini. Sadly rounded down from a 4.5 for several dry pieces in the middle, but still a terrific selection from one of the century's most astute, observant, noble, and subtly cheeky chroniclers.

[Dipra Lahiri · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the great New Yorker writers. In this collection, the 3 standout & most famous essays - Hemmingway in New York, Harry Winston the jeweler and John Huston and the making of the Red Badge of Courage - are must reads.

[Chloe Walker · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really loved some of these pieces, primarily from the section in the middle dedicated to non-famous people. But the 50 pages on Harry Winston were so dull, and the constant noting of every item of clothing that every person was wearing became maddening.

[Mell · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ross fawns over these celebrities, mostly men, in this weird writing style. The older pieces felt cringeworthy as I read them. The Hemingway feature felt endless... Ended up abandoning this at the midpoint of the book.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disappointing: never as punchy as good satire nor as sharp as good journalism. Ross thinks Mrs Doubtfire had an ENGLISH accent, which raises the alarm early on.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

wonderful, insightful, entertaining

[George · Rating 5 out of 5]

Worth reading just for the spectacular pieces about Ernest Hemingway, Harry Winston & the Miss America pageant

[Cara Murphy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some stories were good, but I found myself skipping a lot towards the end. I do appreciate Ross’s lengthy career, but I just was bored with some of the pieces.

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of these pieces were great, but some of them especially older talk of the town pieces felt so dull sitting next to them.

[Deby]

DNF

[Mike Wojciechowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

have had this book for years—such a lovely little collection. Slice of life reporting, celebrity profiles, travel pieces. It has a wide scope. My favorite was by far the story of an Indiana school’s field trip to NYC

[Alisa Bressler · Rating 4 out of 5]

School reading but yas yas yas, mother of literary journalism

[Lori L (She Treads Softly) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reporting Always: Writings from The New Yorker by Lillian Ross is a very highly recommended collection of 32 selected works from the author's seven decade career at the New Yorker.
The pieces are organized into five categories rather than chronologically and cover a wide range of Ross's career. These are all intelligent looks at the individuals or subjects Ross is covering, full of details and keen observations without any hyperbole. Ross's reporting is commendable and presents quintessential examples of excellence in journalism.

Ross is the journalist who originated the entertainment profile, but followed the credo to "write only about people who want to be written about," a practice that would avoid much of the sensationalism that is often present today. Most importantly, Ross is a writer and covers her subjects in such a way to bring the subjects of her articles to life. She adds details that allow the reader to visualize the setting. Her humor and wit is clearly present in these selected pieces. As it is mentioned in the foreword: "Her hallmarks are her keen eyes and ears and an austere, straightforward style... As a storyteller, she has an abiding faith in the magical properties of facts."

Contents include:
Foreword
Introduction
Section I Players
Young and Happy (Julie Andrews); Come In, Lassie! (during the time of the Committee on Un-American activities); Sgt. Pepper the Beatles); Workouts (Robin Williams); Mr. and Mrs. Williams (Marcia Garces Williams); Auteur! Auteur! (Al Pacino); Two Dames (Maggie Smith and Judi Dench)
Section II Writers
How Do You Like It Now, Gentlemen? (Ernest Hemingway); Movement (the Beat writers); Life Line (writers and coffee houses); Theatre (Edward Albee); Oprah’s Understudy (Gayle King)
Section III Youngsters
Symbol of All We Possess (Miss America Pageant); The Yellow Bus (students from Indiana visiting NYC); Dancers in May (excerpt, maypoles dances); Mays at St. Bernard’s (Willie Mays); The Shit-Kickers of Madison Avenue (private school 10th grade students in NYC)
Section IV New Yorkers
El Único Matador Sidney Franklin, bullfighter); Terrific (1954 Junior League ball in NYC); The Big Stone (Harry Winston); The Sporting Scene (John McEnroe); Camaraderie (Ralph Kiner); Ellen Barkin at Home
Section V Big Cheeses
Feeling Lost (Charlie Chaplin); Picture, Part I: Throw the Little Old Lady down the Stairs! (John Huston); Coco Chanel; With Fellini; Rag Trade (Mario Testino); Wes Anderson in Hamilton Heights; Lunch with Agnes (Agnes Martin); Nothing Fancy (Clint Eastwood); Money Honeys (big Republican political donors)
Photo Credits

Disclosure: My Kindle edition was courtesy of Scribner for review purposes.

[SundayAtDusk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Being a lifetime lover of newspapers and magazines, I enthusiastically dove into this book. It was great at first, too–-a teenage Julie Andrews, the Beatles, Lassie! Soon, however, I discovered how interested one was in the topic Lillian Ross covered was going to greatly influence how interested one was in the article. The book's description says this is a “stunning” collection of Ms. Ross’ articles from the New Yorker. Well, “stunning” is a highly subjective word. I’m afraid none were “stunning” to me.

Some were interesting, though; such as the three mentioned above; as well as the articles on Ernest Hemingway, the 1949 Miss America pageant, and a 1964 May Day dance at P.S. 31 in New York City. Others, too many others unfortunately, dragged on so long that skimming was the only way to survive them. The article on jeweler Harry Winston was an example of that. It’s a shame I didn’t like it since it took up 15% of the book. It wasn’t the length of the article that made it a drag, I love long articles. It was the topic. Diamonds don’t interest me, whereas someone highly interested in diamonds might get absolutely drunk on the story! Besides some stories dragging, another problem I had was the way Lillian Ross felt the need to describe the appearances of females–-“chubby”, “big-boned”, “heavyset”. If one didn’t know it was a female reporter who wrote these stories, one most certainly would have guessed it was a sexist male reporter . . . like Carl Kolchak. (Oh, she also called an Orthodox Jew "a Moses".)

In regards to how the book was edited, not putting the date of an article under the title, instead of at the end, was a mistake, in my opinion. Not knowing in the beginning what decade the story was written leaves the reader’s mind searching for clues, instead of focusing fully on the story. Putting the articles in chronological order might have been a good idea, too. Jumping around from one decade to another sometimes created a mild case of culture shock; leaving one feeling the editors of this book overestimated the appeal of Lillian Ross’ work; not thinking for a moment that a reader, for any reason, might simply stop reading.

(Note: A free e-ARC of this book was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)

[Billhotto · Rating 4 out of 5]

The pieces in this book are from 1947-2003. Ross invented the technique of writing nonfiction in the style of a novel. This was used later by Truman Capote in his "In Cold Blood" as well as Norman Mailer and Tom Wolfe. She was accurate and respected her subjects, but her humor and an eye for detail conveyed more than a simple retelling of what happened. She didn't intrude or editorialize, she let her subjects words and actions convey the story. Her account of Hemingway boozing his way through a stay in New York was criticized, but Hemingway liked it. What comes across is a man, who prides himself on his physicality, turning fifty and facing his decline. The New Yorker was ideal for Ross as her extended pieces were carried through multiple issues. Included are long pieces on the jeweler Harry Winston and Ross' most famous piece, an account of John Huston and the making of his film, "The Red Badge of Courage", which became the book "Picture". My favorite piece was from 1964 , "The May Dancers". The young woman at the center teaches 5th grade and music at a Manhattan public school. Would that all children had teachers like her.

[Tucker · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Reporting Always” provides a delicious taste of some of the best of Lillian Ross’s articles for The New Yorker. As a long time reader of that magazine, I was familiar with her work, but it was captivating to watch her writing style develop from earlier to later articles (although it would have been helpful if the articles were presented in chronological order.) I especially appreciated some of the personal profiles of well known people such as Robin Williams, Clint Eastwood, and John Huston. Although she wrote about famous people, she wrote about them because of their talent and because they were interesting people, not simply because they were rich or famous. As she writes in the introduction, “I choose my subjects carefully. I am not interested in sensational revelations. I always want to find the special nature of each human being.” A fascinating, extremely well written book.

Thank you to Scribner and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.

[Marilyn Boyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I imagined I'd enjoy this book of essays more. I found the tone of the quotes had much in common with each other, which leads me to think that Ross' voice is more the focus than accurate quoting. She discusses how she does not believe in using recording devices, but relies on her notes. Some of the short pieces are almost entirely quotes, so, even though edited, this does not always leave the reader with a satisfying POV about the subject. I preferred the short pieces to the long for the most part, and her observation is very keen and humorous, as in the mutual patting of Fellini and his fellow actors, and Ellen Barkin's enjoyment of her wealth and "honesty". Overall, my reaction was similar to how I usually find articles in The New Yorker - I'm initially interested, but ultimately bored by their lack of direction and depth.

[Madeleine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this collection of New Yorker pieces by one of the magazine's most important and influential female writers. Her style is so distinctive: heavy dialogue, mountains of detail, action-filled scenes, painstaking observation. She's as skilled at portraying schoolchildren as she is seasoned celebrities and always manages to tell an interesting story by letting her characters speak for themselves and uncovering, as she puts it, their "deepest innocence." I didn't give five stars because I didn't love every piece, but the one about Harry Winston was an obvious standout. "The Yellow School Bus," a story about a high school senior class's trip to New York, was also a delight to read.

[Andrea]

This series of writings by Lillian Ross for The New Yorker magazine are extraordinary in the eyes of an aspiring writer. In the same writing circles as Hemingway and Sallinger, Lillian Ross refused to use a tape recorder while reporting on personalities and celebrities of her time, as well as her observations of political, social and cultural undertones in the United States. Particularly poignant are her descriptions of Robin Williams and his wife, Marcia Williams, as they are making the film "Mrs Doubtfire" under their production company while balancing life with their family in San Francisco.

[Cameron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every journalist (and anyone who loves amazing reportage) should read Lillian Ross. Whether she’s hanging out with Ernest Hemingway, witnessing the lead up to the Miss America Pageant, travelling with some school children on their first excursion to the big city, or watching how fine diamonds are selected and cut, her reportage (mostly from around the 1950s, but the collection includes pieces up until the early noughties) is truly sparkling and captivating. Taking an almost purely observant route, rather than giving any real opinion, she relates dialogue and detail in a way that is just too erudite. Read this.

[Dan Lalande · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lillian Ross, the veteran New Yorker contributor, explains her methodology in a pithy introduction, then, prolifically demonstrates the high journalistic talent that subscribed to it for half a century. Most of her best pieces are here, including excerpts from her justly acclaimed book on director John Huston and a recent, just as sturdy study of his prodigal son Clint Eastwood. Celebs aside, Ross is even more adept capturing the common man; it is there that her humane, playful objectivity shines most and the obligatory patrician ethos of the publication by which she made her name obfuscates least.

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A selection of Lillian Ross’s writing for The New Yorker, with a helpful foreword from David Remnick. Ross was a staff writer at the magazine for many decades and was very influential, inspiring many other writers. This collection is one to be dipped into rather than read straight through, but has some wonderful examples of her inimitable writing style. I’m not sure that it’s a style I particularly enjoy, but I appreciated the pieces from a historical and literary perspective and no doubt will find myself going back to the book again and again.