The Paris Review#Prizes

An editorial statement by William Styron in the inaugural Spring 1953 issue described the magazine's intended aim:William Styron, The Paris Review No. 1, pp. 11–12

The Paris Review hopes to emphasize creative work—fiction and poetry—not to the exclusion of criticism, but with the aim in mind of merely removing criticism from the dominating place it holds in most literary magazines. […] I think The Paris Review should welcome these people into its pages: the good writers and good poets, the non-drumbeaters and non-axe-grinders. So long as they're good.

The Review{{'}}s founding editors include Humes, Matthiessen, Plimpton, William Pène du Bois, Thomas Guinzburg and John P. C. Train. The first publisher was Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan. Du Bois, the magazine's first art editor, designed the iconic Paris Review eagle to include both American and French significance: an American eagle holding a pen and wearing a Phrygian cap.

The magazine's first office was located in a small room of the publishing house Éditions de la Table ronde. Other notable locations of The Paris Review include a Thames River grain carrier anchored on the Seine from 1956 to 1957. The Café de Tournon in the Rue de Tournon on the Rive Gauche was the meeting place for staffers and writers, including du Bois, Plimpton, Matthiessen, Alexander Trocchi, Christopher Logue, and Eugene Walter.

The first floor and basement rooms in Plimpton's 72nd Street apartment became the headquarters of The Paris Review when the magazine moved from Paris to New York City in 1973. The magazine's circulation was 9,700 in 1989.{{cite news|title=A New Chapter in the Life of Story|first=Eleanor|last=Blau|date=Oct 3, 1989|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/10/03/arts/a-new-chapter-in-the-life-of-story.html?searchResultPosition=32|archive-date=May 18, 2024|access-date=May 18, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240518212236/https://www.nytimes.com/1989/10/03/arts/a-new-chapter-in-the-life-of-story.html?searchResultPosition=32|url-status=live}}

Brigid Hughes took over as editor following Plimpton's death in 2003; her last issue was March 2005. She was succeeded by Philip Gourevitch in spring 2005.{{cite news|last1=Wyatt|first1=Edward|title=New Editor of Paris Review Is Writer for The New Yorker|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/18/nyregion/new-editor-of-paris-review-is-writer-for-the-new-yorker.html|access-date=December 7, 2017|work=The New York Times|date=March 18, 2005|archive-date=December 8, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171208003414/http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/18/nyregion/new-editor-of-paris-review-is-writer-for-the-new-yorker.html|url-status=live}}

In January 2007, an article published by The New York Times supported the claim that founding editor Matthiessen was in the Central Intelligence Agency, but reported that the magazine was used as a cover, rather than a collaborator, for his spying activities.{{cite news|author=Celia McGee|title=The Burgeoning Rebirth of a Bygone Literary Star|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/13/books/13hume.html|work=The New York Times|date=January 13, 2007|access-date=January 15, 2007|archive-date=December 10, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081210024100/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/13/books/13hume.html|url-status=live}} In a May 27, 2008 interview with Charlie Rose, Matthiessen stated that he "invented The Paris Review as cover" for his CIA activities.{{cite web |first=Peter |last=Matthiessen |title=The Charlie Rose Show |url=http://www.charlierose.com/guests/peter-matthiessen |quote=I went there as a CIA agent, to Paris... I invented The Paris Review as cover. |at=15:30–15:41 of interview |date=May 27, 2008 |access-date=September 14, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080708031459/http://www.charlierose.com/guests/peter-matthiessen |archive-date=July 8, 2008 }} Matthiessen maintained that the Review was not part of the Congress for Cultural Freedom (CCF), an organization used by the CIA to sponsor an array of literary magazines; but the record shows The Paris Review benefited financially from selling article reprints to CCF magazines.{{cite news |author=Patrick Iber |title=Literary Magazines for Socialists Funded by the CIA, Ranked |url=http://www.theawl.com/2015/08/literary-magazines-for-socialists-funded-by-the-cia-ranked |work=The Awl |date=August 24, 2015 |access-date=April 5, 2016 |archive-date=April 15, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160415102159/http://www.theawl.com/2015/08/literary-magazines-for-socialists-funded-by-the-cia-ranked |url-status=live }}

Under Gourevitch's leadership, the Review began incorporating more nonfiction pieces and, for the first time, began regularly publishing a photography spread. A four-volume set of Paris Review interviews was published by Picador from 2006 to 2009. Gourevitch announced his departure in the fall of 2009, citing a desire to concentrate more fully on his creative writing.{{cite web |author=Leon Neyfakh |url=http://www.observer.com/2009/media/philip-gourevitch-stepping-down-editor-paris-review |title=Philip Gourevitch Stepping Down as Editor of The Paris Review|work=Observer|access-date=June 22, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110809145251/http://www.observer.com/2009/media/philip-gourevitch-stepping-down-editor-paris-review|archive-date=August 9, 2011}}{{cite news|url=http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/09/gourevitch-stepping-down-at-paris-review/|work=The New York Times|author=Dave Itzkoff|title=Gourevitch Stepping Down at Paris Review|date=November 9, 2009|archive-date=October 1, 2012|access-date=February 14, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121001222116/http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/09/gourevitch-stepping-down-at-paris-review/|url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/jacketcopy/2009/11/philip-gourevitch-to-leave-paris-review.html|work=Los Angeles Times|title=Jacket Copy|archive-date=2011-09-28|access-date=2011-02-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928005936/http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/jacketcopy/2009/11/philip-gourevitch-to-leave-paris-review.html|url-status=live}}

Lorin Stein was named editor of The Paris Review in April 2010. He oversaw a redesign of the magazine's print edition and its website, both of which were met with critical acclaim.{{cite web|url=http://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2010/09/13/get-ready/|title=Get Ready|work=The Paris Review|date=September 13, 2010|access-date=June 22, 2011|archive-date=July 28, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110728100403/http://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2010/09/13/get-ready/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://designnotes.info/?p=2848|title=Looking at the Redesign of The Paris Review|work=Design Notes|access-date=June 22, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721195009/http://designnotes.info/?p=2848|archive-date=July 21, 2011|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}{{cite web|url=http://www.prweb.com/releases/2010/09/prweb4542464.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100926024438/http://www.prweb.com/releases/2010/09/prweb4542464.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 26, 2010 |title=The Paris Review Launches Redesigned and Expanded Web Site|work=Prweb|access-date=June 22, 2011}} In September 2010, the Review made available online its entire archive of interviews.{{cite web|url=http://www.theparisreview.org/interviews|title=Interviews, Writers, Quotes, Fiction, Poetry|work=Paris Review|access-date=February 5, 2014|archive-date=May 4, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220504120723/https://www.theparisreview.org/interviews|url-status=live}}Garner, Dwight (October 22, 2010), [https://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/23/books/23interview.html "Paris Review Editor Frees Menagerie of Wordsmiths"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170908204529/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/23/books/23interview.html |date=2017-09-08 }}, in The New York Times. On December 6, 2017, Stein resigned amid an internal investigation into his sexual misconduct toward women at the workplace.{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/06/books/lorin-stein-resigns-the-paris-review.html|first=Alexandra|last=Alter|author2=Sydney Ember|title=Paris Review Editor Resigns Amid Inquiry Into His Conduct With Women|date=December 6, 2017|website=The New York Times|access-date=December 7, 2017|archive-date=December 30, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171230153714/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/06/books/lorin-stein-resigns-the-paris-review.html|url-status=live}}

In October 2012, The Paris Review published an anthology, Object Lessons,[http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781250005984 Object Lessons] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020041410/http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781250005984 |date=2012-10-20 }}, June 2012 comprising a selection of 20 short stories from The Paris Review's archive, each with an introduction by a contemporary author. Contributors include Jeffrey Eugenides (with an introduction to a story by Denis Johnson), Lydia Davis (with an introduction to a story by Jane Bowles), and Ali Smith (with an introduction to a story by Lydia Davis).Picador catalogue, Fall 2012, page 19.

On October 8, 2012, the magazine launched its app for the iPad and iPhone.{{cite web|url=http://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2012/10/08/introducing-the-paris-review-app/|title=Introducing the Paris Review App!|work=The Paris Review|date=October 8, 2012|access-date=October 8, 2012|archive-date=October 10, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121010224028/http://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2012/10/08/introducing-the-paris-review-app/|url-status=live}} Developed by Atavist, the app includes access to new issues, back issues, and archival collections from its fiction and poetry sections—along with the complete interview series and the Paris Review Daily.{{cite web|url=http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/07/a-paris-review-mobile-app/|title=A Paris Review Mobile App|work=The New York Times|date=October 7, 2012|access-date=October 8, 2012|archive-date=October 9, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121009035621/http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/07/a-paris-review-mobile-app/|url-status=live}}

In November 2015, The Paris Review published its first anthology of new writing since 1964, The Unprofessionals: New American Writing from The Paris Review,{{cite web|url=https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2015/08/25/announcing-the-unprofessionals-our-new-anthology/|title=Announcing The Unprofessionals: Our New Anthology|first=The Paris|last=Review|date=25 August 2015|website=theparisreview.org|access-date=16 October 2018|archive-date=17 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181017082058/https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2015/08/25/announcing-the-unprofessionals-our-new-anthology/|url-status=live}} including writing by well-established authors like Zadie Smith, Ben Lerner, and John Jeremiah Sullivan, as well as emerging writers like Emma Cline, Ottessa Moshfegh, Alexandra Kleeman, and Angela Flournoy.{{cite web|url=http://www.penguin.com/book/the-unprofessionals-by-the-paris-review-edited-by-lorin-stein/9780143128472|title=The Unprofessionals by The Paris Review - PenguinRandomHouse.com|website=PenguinRandomhouse.com|access-date=2015-11-17|archive-date=2016-03-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160308035431/http://www.penguin.com/book/the-unprofessionals-by-the-paris-review-edited-by-lorin-stein/9780143128472|url-status=dead}}

In late 2021, for the first issue with Stokes as editor-in-chief and Na Kim as art director, the journal was given a redesign by Matt Willey of Pentagram that hearkened back to the look that it had in the late 1960s and early 1970s: a minimalist style, a cover with a sans serif font and a great deal of white space, a smaller trim size, and paper that was physically softer.{{Cite web |last=Pockros |first=Alana |date=December 21, 2021 |title=What's Past is Prologue: Inside the Redesign of The Paris Review |url=https://eyeondesign.aiga.org/whats-past-is-prologue-inside-the-redesign-of-the-paris-review/ |access-date=April 9, 2022 |website=AIGA Eye on Design |archive-date=May 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220528094715/https://eyeondesign.aiga.org/whats-past-is-prologue-inside-the-redesign-of-the-paris-review/ |url-status=live }}

{{unreferenced section|date=June 2014}}

The Review has published several emerging writers who have gone to notable careers, including Adrienne Rich, V.S. Naipaul, Philip Roth, T. Coraghessan Boyle, Mona Simpson, Edward P. Jones, and Rick Moody. Selections from Samuel Beckett's novel Molloy appeared in the fifth issue. The magazine was also among the first to recognize the work of Jack Kerouac with the publication of his short story, "The Mexican Girl", in 1955. Other works making their first appearance in The Paris Review include Italo Calvino's Last Comes the Raven, Philip Roth's Goodbye Columbus, Donald Barthelme's Alice, Jim Carroll's The Basketball Diaries, Matthiessen's Far Tortuga, Jeffrey Eugenides's The Virgin Suicides, and Jonathan Franzen's The Corrections.

Aisha Sabatini Sloan is an emerging writer with a monthly column, "Detroit Archives". The series explores her family history through iconic landmarks in Detroit.{{Cite web|url=https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2019/12/02/detroit-archives-on-haunting/|title=Detroit Archives: On Haunting|last=Sloan|first=Aisha Sabatini|date=2019-12-02|website=The Paris Review|language=en|access-date=2020-01-23}}

{{quote box|width=23em|"The interviews in The Paris Review […] are about as canonical, in our literary universe, as spoken words can be. They long ago set the standard […] for what well-brewed conversation should sound like on the page."|—Dwight Garner, The New York Times}}

An interview with E. M. Forster, an acquaintance of Plimpton's from his days at Kings College at the University of Cambridge, was the first in a long series of author interviews, now known as the "Writers at Work" series.

In 1964, The Paris Review initiated a series of prints and posters by contemporary artists with the goal of establishing an ongoing relationship between the worlds of writing and art[http://store.theparisreview.org/collections/print-series/A-E/ The Paris Review Print Series] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100930050057/http://store.theparisreview.org/collections/print-series/A-E |date=2010-09-30 }}, The Paris Review.—Drue Heinz, then publisher of The Paris Review, shared credit with Jane Wilson for initiating the series. In the half century since its inception, the series has featured notable New York artists of the postwar decades, including Louise Bourgeois, Willem de Kooning, David Hockney, Helen Frankenthaler, Keith Haring, Robert Indiana, Jimmy Ernst, Alex Katz, Ellsworth Kelly, Sol LeWitt, Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Motherwell, Louise Nevelson, Claes Oldenburg, Robert Rauschenberg, Larry Rivers, James Rosenquist, Ed Ruscha and Andy Warhol.

The series, suspended after George Plimpton's death in 2003, was relaunched in 2012 with a print by Donald Baechler.

Three prizes are awarded annually by the editors of The Paris Review: the Paris Review Hadada, the Plimpton Prize, and the Terry Southern Prize for Humor. Winning selections are celebrated at the annual Spring Revel. No application form is required. Instead, winners are selected from the stories and poems published the previous year in The Paris Review.

• The Paris Review Hadada: a bronze statuette to be "awarded annually to a distinguished member of the literary community who has demonstrated a strong and unique commitment to literature".[http://www.theparisreview.org/about/prizes/ The Paris Review Prizes] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110104082423/http://www.theparisreview.org/about/prizes |date=2011-01-04 }}, The Paris Review The award may go to a writer, reader, editor, publisher, publication, or organization. Past winners include Jamaica Kincaid, John Ashbery, Joan Didion, Norman Mailer, Peter Matthiessen, George Plimpton, Barney Rosset, William Styron, Philip Roth, James Salter, Paula Fox, Frederick Seidel, Norman Rush, Errol Morris, Edward Hirsch, Joy Williams, and Fran Lebowitz.
• The Plimpton Prize: $10,000 (and an engraved ostrich egg) awarded for the best work of fiction or poetry by an emerging or previously unpublished writer. Recent winners include Caitlin Horrocks, Wells Tower, Alistair Morgan, Jesse Ball, Emma Cline, and Benjamin Percy.
• The Terry Southern Prize for Humor: a $5,000 award honoring work from either The Paris Review or The Paris Review Daily that embodies the qualities of humor, wit, and sprezzatura. The prize is given in memory of longtime contributor Terry Southern.[http://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2013/03/26/ottessa-moshfegh-wins-plimpton-prize-j-d-daniels-wins-terry-southern-prize-for-humor/ 2013 Prize Winners] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130502054733/http://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2013/03/26/ottessa-moshfegh-wins-plimpton-prize-j-d-daniels-wins-terry-southern-prize-for-humor/ |date=2013-05-02 }}, The Paris Review.

The Paris Review Spring Revel is an annual gala held in celebration of American writers and writing.{{cite web|author=Irina Aleksander|url=http://www.observer.com/2009/daily-transom/ha-da-da-literary-elites-flock-paris-review-spring-revel |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090416185646/http://www.observer.com/2009/daily-transom/ha-da-da-literary-elites-flock-paris-review-spring-revel |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 16, 2009 |title=Ha-Da-Da! Literary Elites Flock to Paris Review Spring Revel|work=The New York Observer|access-date=June 22, 2011}}{{cite web|author=Irina Aleksander|url=http://www.observer.com/2008/paris-review-revel-james-lipton-decries-internet-fiercely-guards-canap-s|title=At Paris Review Revel, James Lipton Decries Internet, Fiercely Guards Canapes|work=The New York Observer|access-date=June 22, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118195312/http://www.observer.com/2008/paris-review-revel-james-lipton-decries-internet-fiercely-guards-canap-s|archive-date=January 18, 2012}} The Revel "brings together leading figures and patrons of American arts and letters from throughout New York to pay tribute to distinguished writers at different stages of their careers".{{cite web|url=http://www.theparisreview.org/the-spring-revel|title=The Spring Revel|work=The Paris Review|date=March 29, 2011|access-date=June 22, 2011|archive-date=June 24, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624162249/https://www.theparisreview.org/the-spring-revel|url-status=dead}} Proceeds from the Spring Revel go directly toward The Paris Review Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization established by the co-founders in 2000 to ensure the future of The Paris Review.

The 2010 Spring Revel took place on April 13, 2010 and presented Philip Roth with the Hadada.{{cite web|author=The Paris Review|url=http://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2010/07/01/spring-revel-2010-2|title=Spring Revel, 2010|work=The Paris Review|date=July 2010|access-date=March 29, 2016|archive-date=April 2, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160402095050/http://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2010/07/01/spring-revel-2010-2/|url-status=live}}

The 2011 Spring Revel took place on April 12, 2011, chaired by Yves-André Istel and Kathleen Begala. Robert Redford presented the Hadada to James Salter. The 2011 Revel also featured Ann Beattie presenting the Plimpton Prize for Fiction and Fran Lebowitz presenting the inaugural Terry Southern Prize for Humor. In 2012, Robert Silvers received the Hadada.{{cite web |author=The Paris Review |url=http://www.theparisreview.org/about/prizes |title=Paris Review Prizes |work=The Paris Review |access-date=March 29, 2016 |archive-date=March 25, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160325091123/http://www.theparisreview.org/about/prizes |url-status=live }} In 2013, it was Paula Fox. In 2014, Frederick Seidel received the prize.{{cite web |author=John Jeremiah Sullivan |url=http://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2014/05/06/the-what-will-save-you-factor/ |title=The What Will Save You Factor |work=The Paris Review |date=6 May 2014 |access-date=April 5, 2016 |archive-date=8 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160408222515/http://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2014/05/06/the-what-will-save-you-factor/ |url-status=live }} In 2015, it was Norman Rush.{{cite web |author=Dan Piepenbring |author-link=:de:Dan Piepenbring |url=http://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2015/04/13/remembering-the-revel/ |title=Remembering the Revel |work=The Paris Review |date=13 April 2015 |access-date=March 29, 2016 |archive-date=2 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160402091737/http://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2015/04/13/remembering-the-revel/ |url-status=live }} In 2016, Errol Morris presented Lydia Davis with the Hadada{{Cite web|url=https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2016/04/08/pictures-from-our-2016-spring-revel/|title=Pictures from Our 2016 Spring Revel|last=Piepenbring|first=Dan|author-link=:de:Dan Piepenbring|date=2016-04-08|website=The Paris Review|language=en|access-date=2019-06-25|archive-date=2020-08-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200809063934/https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2016/04/08/pictures-from-our-2016-spring-revel/|url-status=live}} and 2017 Edward Hirsch presented Richard Howard with the Hadada.{{Cite web|url=https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2017/04/07/photos-from-our-2017-spring-revel/|title=Photos from Our 2017 Spring Revel|last=Piepenbring|first=Dan|author-link=:de:Dan Piepenbring|date=2017-04-07|website=The Paris Review|language=en|access-date=2019-06-25|archive-date=2020-08-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200809060607/https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2017/04/07/photos-from-our-2017-spring-revel/|url-status=live}} In 2018, Joy Williams received the prize from John Waters.{{Cite web|url=https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2018/04/11/photos-from-our-2018-spring-revel/|title=Photos from Our 2018 Spring Revel|last=Berick|first=Julia|date=2018-04-11|website=The Paris Review|language=en|access-date=2019-06-25|archive-date=2020-02-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200225081829/https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2018/04/11/photos-from-our-2018-spring-revel/|url-status=live}} Fran Lebowitz presented Deborah Eisenberg with the Hadada in 2019.{{Cite web|url=https://store.theparisreview.org/products/the-spring-revel|title=The Spring Revel 2019|website=The Paris Review|access-date=2019-06-25|archive-date=2019-05-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190514155453/https://store.theparisreview.org/products/the-spring-revel|url-status=live}}

{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links==

{{commons category}}

• {{Official website|http://www.theparisreview.org/}}
• [https://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/06/weekinreview/06mcgr.html/ "Does The Paris Review Get a Second Act?"] in The New York Times, February 2005
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20200809165935/https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1406696/ "George Plimpton and The Paris Review: Famed Literary Journal Celebrates 50th Anniversary"] on NPR, August 2003.

{{Congress for Cultural Freedom}}

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