Jonathan Schell -- RIP

Jonathan Schell
(Image: thenation.com)

Jonathan Schell, a former writer for The New Yorker, passed away this week at age 70.

For better or worse, Schell was largely known for two nonfiction works, The Fate of the Earth and The Village of Ben Suc. Often lumped together into "an exploration of war," the books shared Schell's desire to explore the nature and consequences of evil as manifested through organized armed conflict. In that sense, Schell followed in the footsteps of one of his mentors, Hannah Arendt.

Another mentor in Schell's professional and personal life was William Shawn, The New Yorker's second editor. My understanding was that the Schells and the Shawn household were muy simpatico, with young Jonathan a close friend of one of The New Yorker editor's sons. Harvard and The New Yorker seemed natural fits for the well-connected Schell. However, what was striking about Jonathan in person, whom I met when I worked at The New Yorker, was his constant courtesy and his appealing modesty. He was genuinely surprised that The Fate of the Earth became a best-seller. (So were a lot of other people.) He was much more heartened by the public interest in an issue he found so compelling and urgent. It's easy to forget that the book's publication coincided with Ronald Reagan's thoughtless nuclear sabre-rattling that downplayed modern war's human and planetary consequences. Schell's work gave articulate voice to a fragmented anti-militarist movement. For those who assert that books, especially works on important topics, have diminished impact in a visual age, one should consider Schell's courageous effort and its useful results.

I once asked Schell whether he had seen the movie Apocalypse Now. He had not. Why? He didn't view depictions of war -- especially the Vietnam War, which Schell had witnessed -- as suitable entertainment choices. I didn't agree with his opinion, but saw his point. I've never forgotten it, either.

Jonathan Schell was generally considered William Shawn's personal preference as his successor to The New Yorker's throne. That sentiment was not shared by all senior editorial staff members. As it happened, destiny intervened: The New Yorker was sold to Si Newhouse. The magazine world's Sun King preferred a different editorial direction and leadership than those Shawn and Schell represented. Schell soon realized he wanted to publish his work elsewhere. He did so, and slowly slipped from the heights of public prominence.

With Jonathan Schell's passing, one more voice from an era spawned by the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights movement, and the triumph of liberal politics is no longer among us. What and who will replace the moral conscience Schell and others so bravely advanced?

A. Whitney Ellsworth, New York Review of Books' First Publisher -- RIP

A. Whitney Ellsworth, who helped launch The New York Review of Books in the early 1960s, passed away recently in Connecticut.

Ellsworth's prep school and Ivy League background made him a prime candidate for the gentleman's publishing world that existed at the time. What made him different was his dissatisfaction with The Atlantic Monthly, where he was, in the words of Ellsworth's obit in The New York Times, "a frustrated young editor." His desire to create a better literary mousetrap led him, in conjunction with Jason Epstein, Barbara Epstein, Bob Silvers, Robert Lowell, and Elizabeth Hardwick to create The New York Review of Books.

Whatever the Review's flaws are, there is no doubt that it has produced some of the English-speaking world's finest essays and nonfiction pieces. In that sense, the Review became a worthy counterpoint to The New Yorker of the William Shawn era. Ellsworth's role at the Review was crucial, in that he became its publisher. That meant he found the funding to launch the publication and, more importantly, created the structure by which it financially maintained itself. For those who insist government subsidies are the only way a media enterprise of intellectual taste and distinction can survive, the Review is a case study in editorial leadership and modest fiscal success.

Ellsworth, who had wanted to be a Review editor, found his true niche as a publisher. He also was primarily responsible for establishing Amnesty International USA as a financially viable NGO. He accomplished this through his organizational savvy, business acumen, and drive to succeed. Amnesty International USA owes its existence to Ellsworth.

One appealing aspect of Ellsworth's character was how he mastered challenges. Even though he knew very wealthy, socially prominent people, Ellsworth didn't treat them, and himself, as a collection of human checkbooks. Ellsworth had editorial ambitions, but he was self-effacing enough to realize them through his business management skills. The admirable manner in which he cared about political and social issues is a model to understand and emulate.

We need more men and women with A. Whitney Ellsworth's sense of character, ambition, and commitment. And we need them now.

Protest Against Koch Brothers' Sponsored Conference

The LA Times reported in today's editions a protest liberal groups are planning against a right-wing conference in Rancho Mirage, California.

The bi-annual event, sponsored by David and Charles Koch (David is shown in the Kansas City Star photo above), brings together conservative activists, fellow traveler jurors such Antonin Scalia, propagandists such as Glenn Beck, Republican congressional members, and deep pocketed businesspeople.

The Kochs' have a long history of involvement in extreme right-wing activities. In a way, the sons have followed the footpath of their father, Fred Koch, who was an original member of the John Birch Society. Jane Mayer's piece in an August 30, 2010 issue of The New Yorker discusses the father's background, the Koch sons' current anti-Obama jihad, the family's collection of enterprises whose profits fund a range of activities from political activism to think tanks, and other aspects of the Kochs' political and economic interests.