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David Remnick head shot - The New Yorker

David Remnick

David Remnick has been the editor of The New Yorker since 1998 and a staff writer since 1992. He has written hundreds of pieces for the magazine, including reporting from Russia, the Middle East, and Europe and Profiles of Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Katharine Graham, Mike Tyson, Bruce Springsteen, Ralph Ellison, Philip Roth, Benjamin Netanyahu, Leonard Cohen, and Mavis Staples. He also serves as the host of the magazine’s national radio program and podcast, “The New Yorker Radio Hour.”

Remnick began his reporting career in 1982, as a staff writer at the Washington Post, where he covered stories for the Metro, Sports, and Style sections. In 1988, he started a four-year assignment as a Washington Post Moscow correspondent, an experience that formed the basis of his 1993 book, “Lenin’s Tomb: The Last Days of the Soviet Empire.” In 1994, “Lenin’s Tomb” received both the Pulitzer Prize for nonfiction and a George Polk Award for excellence in journalism.

Under Remnick’s leadership, The New Yorker has become the country’s most honored magazine. It has won more than fifty National Magazine Awards during his tenure, including multiple citations for general excellence. In 2016, The New Yorker became the first magazine to receive a Pulitzer Prize for its writing, and now has won eight Pulitzers, including the gold medal for public service. Remnick was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 2016.

Remnick has written seven books: “Lenin’s Tomb,” “Resurrection: The Struggle for a New Russia,” “King of the World” (a biography of Muhammad Ali), and “The Bridge” (a biography of Barack Obama), along with “The Devil Problem,” “Reporting,” and “Holding the Note,” which are collections of some of his pieces from the magazine. He has also edited or co-edited many anthologies of New Yorker articles, including “The Matter of Black Lives,” “The Fragile Earth,” “Life Stories,” “Wonderful Town,” “The New Gilded Age,” “Fierce Pajamas,” “Disquiet, Please!,” and “Secret Ingredients.”

Remnick has taught at Princeton University, where he received his B.A., in 1981, and at Columbia University. He lives in New York with his wife, Esther Fein; they have three children, Alex, Noah, and Natasha.

The Unfinished Business the Biden Administration Is Handing Back to Donald Trump

The staff writer Evan Osnos offers a behind-the-scenes perspective on President Biden’s handling of world crises—from Gaza and Ukraine to China’s designs on Taiwan.

Antony Blinken’s Exit Interview

President Biden’s long-serving Secretary of State on the crisis in Gaza, and his reason for optimism about lasting peace in the region.

“An Oligarchy Is Taking Shape”

In his farewell address, a weary President Biden issues an essential warning.

The Inauguration of Trump’s Oligarchy

Certain business titans have made Mar-a-Lago a scene of such flagrant self-abnegation, ring-kissing, and genuflection that it would embarrass a medieval Pope.

Representative Ro Khanna on Elon Musk and the Tech Oligarchy

Representing Silicon Valley in Congress, Khanna knows tech moguls—and knows how dangerous they are. “Some of them,” he tells David Remnick, “think they’re Nietzsche’s Superman.”

One Environmental Journalist Thinks That the U.S. Needs More Mining

Mining for rare-earth metals has severe environmental consequences. Speaking with Elizabeth Kolbert, the journalist Vince Beiser says that the U.S. needs more of it.

Rachel Aviv on Alice Munro’s Family Secrets

Munro kept quiet about the sexual abuse of her daughter by her partner—but wrote about the family trauma in fiction.

Sara Bareilles Talks with Rachel Syme

The songwriter and performer on her journey from pop music to theatre, with a live performance of “Gravity.”

Pick 3: Alex Barasch on “Babygirl” and Some Classic Erotic Thrillers

The culture editor picks three of the best erotic thrillers after being inspired to study the genre by his recent Profile of the director of the new film, “Babygirl.”

Julianne Moore Explains What She Needs in a Film Director

The actress talks with Michael Schulman about her time on “As the World Turns,” starring in Pedro Almodóvar’s first film in English, and why she hates when people call actors “brave.”

The Art of Cooking with Ina Garten

The food guru explains why she hated dinnertime growing up, and how she learned to love it. And we dig into the craft of reading an audiobook with a master of the form.

Christmas in Tehran During the 1979 Iran Hostage Crisis

In 1979, a minister received a telegram from Iranian militants who had taken hostages in the American Embassy, inviting him to perform Christmas services. Two days later, he was inside.

Willem Dafoe on “Nosferatu”

The actor talks with Adam Howard about playing a vampire hunter in Robert Eggers’s remake of “Nosferatu.” After hundreds of vampire movies, Eggers “wanted him to be scary again.”

The Year Our Readers Made Possible

From the daily newsletter: David Remnick on a surreal year. Plus: a cancer-causing virus hiding in millions of Americans; learning from the failures of the Arab Spring; and the afterimage of Arlene Croce.

Rashid Khalidi on the Palestinian Cause in a Volatile Middle East, and the Meaning of Settler Colonialism

The historian discusses events that have weakened supposed allies of the Palestinians, and the idea of settler colonialism that has taken hold on the left. Critic Adam Kirsch responds.

Audra McDonald on Stephen Sondheim, “Gypsy,” and Being Black on Broadway

The actress stars as Rose in a Broadway revival of “Gypsy.” She shares that, throughout her career, some people have been upset when she plays characters conceived for white actors.

Inside Donald Trump’s Mass-Deportation Plans

The staff writer Jonathan Blitzer on the rhetoric and the reality of deporting “millions”—and why immigrants in the country legally are likely to be targeted.

Sarah McBride Wasn’t Looking for a Fight on Trans Rights

The first trans person elected to Congress discusses how to respond to a bathroom bill and transphobic attacks from her new colleagues in the House.

Stopping the Press

After spending years painting the media as the “enemy of the people,” Donald Trump is ready to intensify his battle against the journalists who cover him.

Pick 3: Justin Chang’s Downer Movies for the Holiday Season

The New Yorker’s critic on holiday-season films that he’s excited about. “These are not upbeat movies,” Chang admits, “but they are among the most thrilling that I’ve seen this year.”

The Unfinished Business the Biden Administration Is Handing Back to Donald Trump

The staff writer Evan Osnos offers a behind-the-scenes perspective on President Biden’s handling of world crises—from Gaza and Ukraine to China’s designs on Taiwan.

Antony Blinken’s Exit Interview

President Biden’s long-serving Secretary of State on the crisis in Gaza, and his reason for optimism about lasting peace in the region.

“An Oligarchy Is Taking Shape”

In his farewell address, a weary President Biden issues an essential warning.

The Inauguration of Trump’s Oligarchy

Certain business titans have made Mar-a-Lago a scene of such flagrant self-abnegation, ring-kissing, and genuflection that it would embarrass a medieval Pope.

Representative Ro Khanna on Elon Musk and the Tech Oligarchy

Representing Silicon Valley in Congress, Khanna knows tech moguls—and knows how dangerous they are. “Some of them,” he tells David Remnick, “think they’re Nietzsche’s Superman.”

One Environmental Journalist Thinks That the U.S. Needs More Mining

Mining for rare-earth metals has severe environmental consequences. Speaking with Elizabeth Kolbert, the journalist Vince Beiser says that the U.S. needs more of it.

Rachel Aviv on Alice Munro’s Family Secrets

Munro kept quiet about the sexual abuse of her daughter by her partner—but wrote about the family trauma in fiction.

Sara Bareilles Talks with Rachel Syme

The songwriter and performer on her journey from pop music to theatre, with a live performance of “Gravity.”

Pick 3: Alex Barasch on “Babygirl” and Some Classic Erotic Thrillers

The culture editor picks three of the best erotic thrillers after being inspired to study the genre by his recent Profile of the director of the new film, “Babygirl.”

Julianne Moore Explains What She Needs in a Film Director

The actress talks with Michael Schulman about her time on “As the World Turns,” starring in Pedro Almodóvar’s first film in English, and why she hates when people call actors “brave.”

The Art of Cooking with Ina Garten

The food guru explains why she hated dinnertime growing up, and how she learned to love it. And we dig into the craft of reading an audiobook with a master of the form.

Christmas in Tehran During the 1979 Iran Hostage Crisis

In 1979, a minister received a telegram from Iranian militants who had taken hostages in the American Embassy, inviting him to perform Christmas services. Two days later, he was inside.

Willem Dafoe on “Nosferatu”

The actor talks with Adam Howard about playing a vampire hunter in Robert Eggers’s remake of “Nosferatu.” After hundreds of vampire movies, Eggers “wanted him to be scary again.”

The Year Our Readers Made Possible

From the daily newsletter: David Remnick on a surreal year. Plus: a cancer-causing virus hiding in millions of Americans; learning from the failures of the Arab Spring; and the afterimage of Arlene Croce.

Rashid Khalidi on the Palestinian Cause in a Volatile Middle East, and the Meaning of Settler Colonialism

The historian discusses events that have weakened supposed allies of the Palestinians, and the idea of settler colonialism that has taken hold on the left. Critic Adam Kirsch responds.

Audra McDonald on Stephen Sondheim, “Gypsy,” and Being Black on Broadway

The actress stars as Rose in a Broadway revival of “Gypsy.” She shares that, throughout her career, some people have been upset when she plays characters conceived for white actors.

Inside Donald Trump’s Mass-Deportation Plans

The staff writer Jonathan Blitzer on the rhetoric and the reality of deporting “millions”—and why immigrants in the country legally are likely to be targeted.

Sarah McBride Wasn’t Looking for a Fight on Trans Rights

The first trans person elected to Congress discusses how to respond to a bathroom bill and transphobic attacks from her new colleagues in the House.

Stopping the Press

After spending years painting the media as the “enemy of the people,” Donald Trump is ready to intensify his battle against the journalists who cover him.

Pick 3: Justin Chang’s Downer Movies for the Holiday Season

The New Yorker’s critic on holiday-season films that he’s excited about. “These are not upbeat movies,” Chang admits, “but they are among the most thrilling that I’ve seen this year.”