The legendary founding editor of New York magazine passed away this morning at 82. Clay Felker’s influence on journalism is difficult to overstate: Beyond virtually inventing the category of city magazines, every newspaper in the country (and, yes, even its Journals of Politics and the Arts) has changed in the last 40 years to fit into the Felkerized world--trying to tell the story behind the story, obsessing over the narrative of fluctuating power dynamics, emphasizing packaging and presentation. These days, a magazine can take many forms, but all the interesting ones, at least, share the same goal: to give readers the same sense of brio, savvy, and excitement that Felker brought to the medium. We work in his shadow.
Classic Felker:
“After Black Power, Women’s Liberation,” Gloria Steinem, New York
“Radical Chic: That Party at Lenny’s,” Tom Wolfe, New York
“Editor’s Letter: What Is Ms. And What Is It Doing In New York?,” Clay Felker, New York
Remembering Felker:
“Clay Felker, 1925–2008,” Kurt Anderson, New York
“Clay Felker, Magazine Pioneer, Dies at 82,” Deirdre Carmody, The New York Times
Journalism about Felker:
“The Esquire Decade,” Frank DiGiacomo, Vanity Fair
The Gang That Wouldn't Write Straight: Wolfe, Thompson, Didion, Capote, and the New Journalism Revolution, Marc Weingarten
--The Editors