The Paris Review

The Paris Review was founded in Paris in 1953 by Harold Humes, Peter Matthiessen, and George Plimpton. Plimpton had editorial responsibility until his death in 2003. William Styron wrote a letter in the first issue of the review, calling on it to publish "the good writers and good poets, the non-drumbeaters and non-axe-grinders. So long as they're good.” The review also sought to emphasize the writers of fiction and poetry over the writers of criticism. Many important writers and important works appeared in print for the first time within the covers of the Paris Review. Some of the writers introduced to the reading public through the review include: Adrienne Rich, Philip Roth, V. S. Naipaul, T. Coraghessan Boyle, Mona Simpson, Edward P. Jones, and Rick Moody. The Paris Review is also famous for its interviews with writers. Many of these interviews have been anthologized separately and you can check these out from the Grinnell College Libraries. They are also available online at http://www.theparisreview.org/

For an essay on founder Doc Humes see the following article published on February 17, 2008 in the New York Times Book Review: http://tinyurl.com/49x74o


The Grinnell College Libraries have subscribed to The Paris Review since 1953

Other ways to read the Paris Review:

The Paris Review Anthology
Burling 3rd floor PN6014.P23 1990

The Paris Review: Interviews
Burling 3rd Floor PS225 .P26 2006 (2 volumes)

Writers At Work: The Paris Review Interviews
Burling 3rd Floor (3 separate volumes covering different time periods)
PN453 .W3
PN453 .W73 and
PN453 .W735