Man in Profile : Joseph Mitchell of the New Yorker TXT, MOBI, DJV
9780375508905 English 0375508902 "Man in Profile "is a hugely entertaining biography of Joseph Mitchell, the beloved and enigmatic "New Yorker" writer "whose stories about ordinary people created extraordinary journalism" ("The New York Times"). Advance praise for "Man in Profile"" " "With "Man in Profile, "Thomas Kunkel has given us a revelatory portrait of one of the most admired and enigmatic journalists of the twentieth century, a celebration of the hidden people and places of New York City, and a literary mystery of the very first order."--Gay Talese, author of "A Writer's Life" "What could be as pleasurable as reading a "New Yorker" piece by Joseph Mitchell? Here is an answer: reading "Man in Profile." With groundbreaking research and a felicitous touch deserving of the subject, Thomas Kunkel not only brings the great writer back to life, he greatly enhances our understanding of how he thought and wrote and, in the end, did not write."--David Maraniss, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "Barack Obama" and "First in His Class" "Some of the most memorable writing of the last century has become the fodder for what is one of the most memorable biographies thus far in this century. Thomas Kunkel probes Joseph Mitchell's life and career with empathy and unflinching reportage."--Gene Roberts, Pulitzer Prize-winning co-author of "The Race Beat" "A three-dimensional portrait of a conflicted Southerner who fled his cotton-and-tobacco-farm childhood to spend most of his adult life in passionate acquisition of the people, the parks, the buildings, the bridges and waterways, the graveyards, and, pacing every inch of them, the very sidewalks of New York. Thomas Kunkel gives readers, Mitchellites and newcomers alike, not just a "Man in Profile" but a great writer in all his holistic glory."--Janet Groth, author of "The Receptionist" "Joseph Mitchell, the finest reporter ever published in "The New Yorker, " is fortunate to have Thomas Kunkel as his biographer. This is a beautiful book."--Susan Sheehan, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "Life for Me Ain't Been No Crystal Stair" and "Is There No Place on Earth for Me?", NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE AND PUBLISHERS WEEKLY * This fascinating biography reveals the untold story of the legendary New Yorker profile writer--author of Joe Gould's Secret and Up in the Old Hotel --and unravels the mystery behind one of literary history's greatest disappearing acts. Born and raised in North Carolina, Joseph Mitchell was Southern to the core. But from the 1930s to the 1960s, he was the voice of New York City. Readers of The New Yorker cherished his intimate sketches of the people who made the city tick--from Mohawk steelworkers to Staten Island oystermen, from homeless intellectual Joe Gould to Old John McSorley, founder of the city's most famous saloon. Mitchell's literary sensibility combined with a journalistic eye for detail produced a writing style that would inspire New Journalism luminaries such as Gay Talese, Tom Wolfe, and Joan Didion. Then, all of a sudden, his stories stopped appearing. For thirty years, Mitchell showed up for work at The New Yorker, but he produced . . . nothing. Did he have something new and exciting in store? Was he working on a major project? Or was he bedeviled by an epic case of writer's block? The first full-length biography of Joseph Mitchell, based on the thousands of archival pages he left behind and dozens of interviews, Man in Profile pieces together the life of this beloved and enigmatic literary legend and answers the question that has plagued readers and critics for decades: What was Joe Mitchell doing all those years? By the time of his death in 1996, Mitchell was less well known for his elegant writing than for his J. D. Salinger-like retreat from the public eye. For thirty years, Mitchell had wandered the streets of New York, chronicling the lives of everyday people and publishing them in the most prestigious publication in town. But by the 1970s, crime, homelessness, and a crumbling infrastructure had transformed the city Mitchell understood so well and spoke for so articulately. He could barely recognize it. As he said to a friend late in life, "I'm living in a state of confusion." Fifty years after his last story appeared, and almost two decades after his death, Joseph Mitchell still has legions of fans, and his story--especially the mystery of his "disappearance"--continues to fascinate. With a colorful cast of characters that includes Harold Ross, A. J. Liebling, Tina Brown, James Thurber, and William Shawn, Man in Profile goes a long way to solving that mystery--and bringing this lion of American journalism out of the shadows that once threatened to swallow him. Praise for Man in Profile "[An] authoritative new biography [about] our greatest literary journalist . . . Kunkel is the ideal biographer of Joseph Mitchell: As . . . a writer and craftsman worthy of his subject." --Blake Bailey, The New York Times Book Review (Editor's Choice) "A richly persuasive portrait of a man who cared about everybody and everything." -- London Review of Books "Mitchell's life and achievements are brought vividly alive in [this] splendid book." -- Chicago Tribune "A thoughtful and sympathetic new biography." --Ruth Franklin, The Atlantic "Excellent . . . A first-rate Mitchell biography was very much in order." -- The Wall Street Journal, This entertaining biography reveals the untold story of the legendary" New Yorker" profile writer--author of "Joe Gould's Secret" and "Up in the Old Hotel"--and unravels the mystery behind one of literary history's greatest disappearing acts. Born and raised in North Carolina, Joseph Mitchell was Southern to the core. But from the 1930s to the 1960s, he was "the" voice of New York City. Readers of "The New Yorker "cherished his intimate sketches of the people who made the city tick--from Mohawk steelworkers to Staten Island oystermen, from homeless intellectual Joe Gould to Old John McSorley, founder of the city's most famous saloon. Mitchell's literary sensibility combined with a journalistic eye for detail produced a writing style that would inspire New Journalism luminaries such as Gay Talese, Tom Wolfe, and Joan Didion. Then, all of a sudden, his stories stopped appearing. For thirty years, Mitchell showed up for work at "The New Yorker, " but he produced . . . nothing. Did he have something new and exciting in store? Was he working on a major project? Or was he bedeviled by an epic case of writer's block? The first full-length biography of Joseph Mitchell, based on the thousands of archival pages he left behind and dozens of interviews, "Man in Profile" pieces together the life of this beloved and enigmatic literary legend and answers the question that has plagued readers and critics for decades: What was Joe Mitchell "doing" all those years? By the time of his death in 1996, Mitchell was less well known for his elegant writing than for his J. D. Salinger-like retreat from the public eye. For thirty years, Mitchell had wandered the streets of New York, chronicling the lives of everyday people and publishing them in the most prestigious publication in town. But by the 1970s, crime, homelessness, and a crumbling infrastructure had transformed the city Mitchell understood so well and spoke for so articulately. He could barely recognize it. As he said to a friend late in life, "I'm living in a state of confusion." Fifty years after his last story appeared, and almost two decades after his death, Joseph Mitchell still has legions of fans, and his story--especially the mystery of his "disappearance"--continues to fascinate. With a colorful cast of characters that includes Harold Ross, A. J. Liebling, Tina Brown, James Thurber, and William Shawn, "Man in Profile" goes a long way to solving that mystery--and bringing this lion of American journalism out of the shadows that once threatened to swallow him. Advance praise for "Man in Profile"" " "With "Man in Profile, "Thomas Kunkel has given us a revelatory portrait of one of the most admired and enigmatic journalists of the twentieth century, a celebration of the hidden people and places of New York City, and a literary mystery of the very first order."--Gay Talese, author of "A Writer's Life" "What could be as pleasurable as reading a "New Yorker" piece by Joseph Mitchell? Here is an answer: reading "Man in Profile." With groundbreaking research and a felicitous touch deserving of the subject, Thomas Kunkel not only brings the great writer back to life but greatly enhances our understanding of how he thought and wrote and, in the end, did not write."--David Maraniss, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "Barack Obama" and "First in His Class", This entertaining biography tells the untold story of the legendary" New Yorker" profile writer--author of "Joe Gould's Secret" and "Up in the Old Hotel"--and unravels the mystery behind one of literary history's greatest disappearing acts. Born and raised in North Carolina, Joseph Mitchell was Southern to the core. But from the 1930s to the 1960s, he was "the" voice of New York City. Readers of "The New Yorker "cherished his intimate sketches of the people who made the city tick--from Mohawk steelworkers to Staten Island oystermen, from homeless intellectual Joe Gould to Old John McSorley, founder of the city's most famous saloon. Mitchell's literary sensibility combined with a journalistic eye for detail produced a writing style that would inspire New Journalism luminaries such as Gay Talese, Tom Wolfe, and Joan Didion. Then, all of a sudden, his stories stopped appearing. For thirty years, Mitchell showed up for work at "The New Yorker, " but he produced . . . nothing. Did he have something new and exciting in store? Was he working on a major project? Or was he bedeviled by an epic case of writer's block? The first full-length biography of Joseph Mitchell, based on the thousands of archival pages he left behind and dozens of interviews, "Man in Profile" pieces together the life of this beloved and enigmatic literary legend and answers the question that has plagued readers and critics for decades: What was Joe Mitchell "doing" all those years? By the time of his death in 1996, Mitchell was less well known for his elegant writing than for his J. D. Salinger-like retreat from the public eye. For thirty years, Mitchell had wandered the streets of New York, chronicling the lives of everyday people and publishing them in the most prestigious publication in town. But by the 1970s, crime, homelessness, and a crumbling infrastructure had transformed the city Mitchell understood so well and spoke for so articulately. He could barely recognize it. As he said to a friend late in life, "I'm living in a state of confusion." Fifty years after his last story appeared, and almost two decades after his death, Joseph Mitchell still has legions of fans, and his story--especially the mystery of his "disappearance"--continues to fascinate. With a colorful cast of characters that includes Harold Ross, A. J. Liebling, Tina Brown, James Thurber, and William Shawn, "Man in Profile" goes a long way to solving that mystery--and bringing this lion of American journalism out of the shadows that once threatened to swallow him. Advance praise for "Man in Profile"" " "With "Man in Profile, "Thomas Kunkel has given us a revelatory portrait of one of the most admired and enigmatic journalists of the twentieth century, a celebration of the hidden people and places of New York City, and a literary mystery of the very first order."--Gay Talese, author of "A Writer's Life" "What could be as pleasurable as reading a "New Yorker" piece by Joseph Mitchell? Here is an answer: reading "Man in Profile." With groundbreaking research and a felicitous touch deserving of the subject, Thomas Kunkel not only brings the great writer back to life, he greatly enhances our understanding of how he thought and wrote and, in the end, did not write."--David Maraniss, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "Barack Obama" and "First in His Class", This fascinating biography reveals the untold story of the legendary" New Yorker" profile writer--author of "Joe Gould's Secret" and "Up in the Old Hotel"--and unravels the mystery behind one of literary history's greatest disappearing acts. Born and raised in North Carolina, Joseph Mitchell was Southern to the core. But from the 1930s to the 1960s, he was "the" voice of New York City. Readers of "The New Yorker "cherished his intimate sketches of the people who made the city tick--from Mohawk steelworkers to Staten Island oystermen, from homeless intellectual Joe Gould to Old John McSorley, founder of the city's most famous saloon. Mitchell's literary sensibility combined with a journalistic eye for detail produced a writing style that would inspire New Journalism luminaries such as Gay Talese, Tom Wolfe, and Joan Didion. Then, all of a sudden, his stories stopped appearing. For thirty years, Mitchell showed up for work at "The New Yorker, " but he produced . . . nothing. Did he have something new and exciting in store? Was he working on a major project? Or was he bedeviled by an epic case of writer's block? The first full-length biography of Joseph Mitchell, based on the thousands of archival pages he left behind and dozens of interviews, "Man in Profile" pieces together the life of this beloved and enigmatic literary legend and answers the question that has plagued readers and critics for decades: What was Joe Mitchell "doing" all those years? By the time of his death in 1996, Mitchell was less well known for his elegant writing than for his J. D. Salinger-like retreat from the public eye. For thirty years, Mitchell had wandered the streets of New York, chronicling the lives of everyday people and publishing them in the most prestigious publication in town. But by the 1970s, crime, homelessness, and a crumbling infrastructure had transformed the city Mitchell understood so well and spoke for so articulately. He could barely recognize it. As he said to a friend late in life, "I'm living in a state of confusion." Fifty years after his last story appeared, and almost two decades after his death, Joseph Mitchell still has legions of fans, and his story--especially the mystery of his "disappearance"--continues to fascinate. With a colorful cast of characters that includes Harold Ross, A. J. Liebling, Tina Brown, James Thurber, and William Shawn, "Man in Profile" goes a long way to solving that mystery--and bringing this lion of American journalism out of the shadows that once threatened to swallow him. Praise for "Man in Profile"" "" A] long-awaited biography of this demon-driven journalist . . . lovingly unearthed . . . exactly the sort of dope for which readers lustily gut the biography of a writer they love, the only kind of gossip that even begins to rival reading the writer's writing itself."--"Los Angeles Review of Books"" " "A compelling book on one of the more revered journalists of the twentieth century, warts and all."--Milwaukee "Journal Sentinel" "With "Man in Profile, "Thomas Kunkel has given us a revelatory portrait of one of the most admired and enigmatic journalists of the twentieth century, a celebration of the hidden people and places of New York City, and a literary mystery of the first order."--Gay Talese, author of "A Writer's Life"
9780375508905 English 0375508902 "Man in Profile "is a hugely entertaining biography of Joseph Mitchell, the beloved and enigmatic "New Yorker" writer "whose stories about ordinary people created extraordinary journalism" ("The New York Times"). Advance praise for "Man in Profile"" " "With "Man in Profile, "Thomas Kunkel has given us a revelatory portrait of one of the most admired and enigmatic journalists of the twentieth century, a celebration of the hidden people and places of New York City, and a literary mystery of the very first order."--Gay Talese, author of "A Writer's Life" "What could be as pleasurable as reading a "New Yorker" piece by Joseph Mitchell? Here is an answer: reading "Man in Profile." With groundbreaking research and a felicitous touch deserving of the subject, Thomas Kunkel not only brings the great writer back to life, he greatly enhances our understanding of how he thought and wrote and, in the end, did not write."--David Maraniss, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "Barack Obama" and "First in His Class" "Some of the most memorable writing of the last century has become the fodder for what is one of the most memorable biographies thus far in this century. Thomas Kunkel probes Joseph Mitchell's life and career with empathy and unflinching reportage."--Gene Roberts, Pulitzer Prize-winning co-author of "The Race Beat" "A three-dimensional portrait of a conflicted Southerner who fled his cotton-and-tobacco-farm childhood to spend most of his adult life in passionate acquisition of the people, the parks, the buildings, the bridges and waterways, the graveyards, and, pacing every inch of them, the very sidewalks of New York. Thomas Kunkel gives readers, Mitchellites and newcomers alike, not just a "Man in Profile" but a great writer in all his holistic glory."--Janet Groth, author of "The Receptionist" "Joseph Mitchell, the finest reporter ever published in "The New Yorker, " is fortunate to have Thomas Kunkel as his biographer. This is a beautiful book."--Susan Sheehan, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "Life for Me Ain't Been No Crystal Stair" and "Is There No Place on Earth for Me?", NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE AND PUBLISHERS WEEKLY * This fascinating biography reveals the untold story of the legendary New Yorker profile writer--author of Joe Gould's Secret and Up in the Old Hotel --and unravels the mystery behind one of literary history's greatest disappearing acts. Born and raised in North Carolina, Joseph Mitchell was Southern to the core. But from the 1930s to the 1960s, he was the voice of New York City. Readers of The New Yorker cherished his intimate sketches of the people who made the city tick--from Mohawk steelworkers to Staten Island oystermen, from homeless intellectual Joe Gould to Old John McSorley, founder of the city's most famous saloon. Mitchell's literary sensibility combined with a journalistic eye for detail produced a writing style that would inspire New Journalism luminaries such as Gay Talese, Tom Wolfe, and Joan Didion. Then, all of a sudden, his stories stopped appearing. For thirty years, Mitchell showed up for work at The New Yorker, but he produced . . . nothing. Did he have something new and exciting in store? Was he working on a major project? Or was he bedeviled by an epic case of writer's block? The first full-length biography of Joseph Mitchell, based on the thousands of archival pages he left behind and dozens of interviews, Man in Profile pieces together the life of this beloved and enigmatic literary legend and answers the question that has plagued readers and critics for decades: What was Joe Mitchell doing all those years? By the time of his death in 1996, Mitchell was less well known for his elegant writing than for his J. D. Salinger-like retreat from the public eye. For thirty years, Mitchell had wandered the streets of New York, chronicling the lives of everyday people and publishing them in the most prestigious publication in town. But by the 1970s, crime, homelessness, and a crumbling infrastructure had transformed the city Mitchell understood so well and spoke for so articulately. He could barely recognize it. As he said to a friend late in life, "I'm living in a state of confusion." Fifty years after his last story appeared, and almost two decades after his death, Joseph Mitchell still has legions of fans, and his story--especially the mystery of his "disappearance"--continues to fascinate. With a colorful cast of characters that includes Harold Ross, A. J. Liebling, Tina Brown, James Thurber, and William Shawn, Man in Profile goes a long way to solving that mystery--and bringing this lion of American journalism out of the shadows that once threatened to swallow him. Praise for Man in Profile "[An] authoritative new biography [about] our greatest literary journalist . . . Kunkel is the ideal biographer of Joseph Mitchell: As . . . a writer and craftsman worthy of his subject." --Blake Bailey, The New York Times Book Review (Editor's Choice) "A richly persuasive portrait of a man who cared about everybody and everything." -- London Review of Books "Mitchell's life and achievements are brought vividly alive in [this] splendid book." -- Chicago Tribune "A thoughtful and sympathetic new biography." --Ruth Franklin, The Atlantic "Excellent . . . A first-rate Mitchell biography was very much in order." -- The Wall Street Journal, This entertaining biography reveals the untold story of the legendary" New Yorker" profile writer--author of "Joe Gould's Secret" and "Up in the Old Hotel"--and unravels the mystery behind one of literary history's greatest disappearing acts. Born and raised in North Carolina, Joseph Mitchell was Southern to the core. But from the 1930s to the 1960s, he was "the" voice of New York City. Readers of "The New Yorker "cherished his intimate sketches of the people who made the city tick--from Mohawk steelworkers to Staten Island oystermen, from homeless intellectual Joe Gould to Old John McSorley, founder of the city's most famous saloon. Mitchell's literary sensibility combined with a journalistic eye for detail produced a writing style that would inspire New Journalism luminaries such as Gay Talese, Tom Wolfe, and Joan Didion. Then, all of a sudden, his stories stopped appearing. For thirty years, Mitchell showed up for work at "The New Yorker, " but he produced . . . nothing. Did he have something new and exciting in store? Was he working on a major project? Or was he bedeviled by an epic case of writer's block? The first full-length biography of Joseph Mitchell, based on the thousands of archival pages he left behind and dozens of interviews, "Man in Profile" pieces together the life of this beloved and enigmatic literary legend and answers the question that has plagued readers and critics for decades: What was Joe Mitchell "doing" all those years? By the time of his death in 1996, Mitchell was less well known for his elegant writing than for his J. D. Salinger-like retreat from the public eye. For thirty years, Mitchell had wandered the streets of New York, chronicling the lives of everyday people and publishing them in the most prestigious publication in town. But by the 1970s, crime, homelessness, and a crumbling infrastructure had transformed the city Mitchell understood so well and spoke for so articulately. He could barely recognize it. As he said to a friend late in life, "I'm living in a state of confusion." Fifty years after his last story appeared, and almost two decades after his death, Joseph Mitchell still has legions of fans, and his story--especially the mystery of his "disappearance"--continues to fascinate. With a colorful cast of characters that includes Harold Ross, A. J. Liebling, Tina Brown, James Thurber, and William Shawn, "Man in Profile" goes a long way to solving that mystery--and bringing this lion of American journalism out of the shadows that once threatened to swallow him. Advance praise for "Man in Profile"" " "With "Man in Profile, "Thomas Kunkel has given us a revelatory portrait of one of the most admired and enigmatic journalists of the twentieth century, a celebration of the hidden people and places of New York City, and a literary mystery of the very first order."--Gay Talese, author of "A Writer's Life" "What could be as pleasurable as reading a "New Yorker" piece by Joseph Mitchell? Here is an answer: reading "Man in Profile." With groundbreaking research and a felicitous touch deserving of the subject, Thomas Kunkel not only brings the great writer back to life but greatly enhances our understanding of how he thought and wrote and, in the end, did not write."--David Maraniss, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "Barack Obama" and "First in His Class", This entertaining biography tells the untold story of the legendary" New Yorker" profile writer--author of "Joe Gould's Secret" and "Up in the Old Hotel"--and unravels the mystery behind one of literary history's greatest disappearing acts. Born and raised in North Carolina, Joseph Mitchell was Southern to the core. But from the 1930s to the 1960s, he was "the" voice of New York City. Readers of "The New Yorker "cherished his intimate sketches of the people who made the city tick--from Mohawk steelworkers to Staten Island oystermen, from homeless intellectual Joe Gould to Old John McSorley, founder of the city's most famous saloon. Mitchell's literary sensibility combined with a journalistic eye for detail produced a writing style that would inspire New Journalism luminaries such as Gay Talese, Tom Wolfe, and Joan Didion. Then, all of a sudden, his stories stopped appearing. For thirty years, Mitchell showed up for work at "The New Yorker, " but he produced . . . nothing. Did he have something new and exciting in store? Was he working on a major project? Or was he bedeviled by an epic case of writer's block? The first full-length biography of Joseph Mitchell, based on the thousands of archival pages he left behind and dozens of interviews, "Man in Profile" pieces together the life of this beloved and enigmatic literary legend and answers the question that has plagued readers and critics for decades: What was Joe Mitchell "doing" all those years? By the time of his death in 1996, Mitchell was less well known for his elegant writing than for his J. D. Salinger-like retreat from the public eye. For thirty years, Mitchell had wandered the streets of New York, chronicling the lives of everyday people and publishing them in the most prestigious publication in town. But by the 1970s, crime, homelessness, and a crumbling infrastructure had transformed the city Mitchell understood so well and spoke for so articulately. He could barely recognize it. As he said to a friend late in life, "I'm living in a state of confusion." Fifty years after his last story appeared, and almost two decades after his death, Joseph Mitchell still has legions of fans, and his story--especially the mystery of his "disappearance"--continues to fascinate. With a colorful cast of characters that includes Harold Ross, A. J. Liebling, Tina Brown, James Thurber, and William Shawn, "Man in Profile" goes a long way to solving that mystery--and bringing this lion of American journalism out of the shadows that once threatened to swallow him. Advance praise for "Man in Profile"" " "With "Man in Profile, "Thomas Kunkel has given us a revelatory portrait of one of the most admired and enigmatic journalists of the twentieth century, a celebration of the hidden people and places of New York City, and a literary mystery of the very first order."--Gay Talese, author of "A Writer's Life" "What could be as pleasurable as reading a "New Yorker" piece by Joseph Mitchell? Here is an answer: reading "Man in Profile." With groundbreaking research and a felicitous touch deserving of the subject, Thomas Kunkel not only brings the great writer back to life, he greatly enhances our understanding of how he thought and wrote and, in the end, did not write."--David Maraniss, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "Barack Obama" and "First in His Class", This fascinating biography reveals the untold story of the legendary" New Yorker" profile writer--author of "Joe Gould's Secret" and "Up in the Old Hotel"--and unravels the mystery behind one of literary history's greatest disappearing acts. Born and raised in North Carolina, Joseph Mitchell was Southern to the core. But from the 1930s to the 1960s, he was "the" voice of New York City. Readers of "The New Yorker "cherished his intimate sketches of the people who made the city tick--from Mohawk steelworkers to Staten Island oystermen, from homeless intellectual Joe Gould to Old John McSorley, founder of the city's most famous saloon. Mitchell's literary sensibility combined with a journalistic eye for detail produced a writing style that would inspire New Journalism luminaries such as Gay Talese, Tom Wolfe, and Joan Didion. Then, all of a sudden, his stories stopped appearing. For thirty years, Mitchell showed up for work at "The New Yorker, " but he produced . . . nothing. Did he have something new and exciting in store? Was he working on a major project? Or was he bedeviled by an epic case of writer's block? The first full-length biography of Joseph Mitchell, based on the thousands of archival pages he left behind and dozens of interviews, "Man in Profile" pieces together the life of this beloved and enigmatic literary legend and answers the question that has plagued readers and critics for decades: What was Joe Mitchell "doing" all those years? By the time of his death in 1996, Mitchell was less well known for his elegant writing than for his J. D. Salinger-like retreat from the public eye. For thirty years, Mitchell had wandered the streets of New York, chronicling the lives of everyday people and publishing them in the most prestigious publication in town. But by the 1970s, crime, homelessness, and a crumbling infrastructure had transformed the city Mitchell understood so well and spoke for so articulately. He could barely recognize it. As he said to a friend late in life, "I'm living in a state of confusion." Fifty years after his last story appeared, and almost two decades after his death, Joseph Mitchell still has legions of fans, and his story--especially the mystery of his "disappearance"--continues to fascinate. With a colorful cast of characters that includes Harold Ross, A. J. Liebling, Tina Brown, James Thurber, and William Shawn, "Man in Profile" goes a long way to solving that mystery--and bringing this lion of American journalism out of the shadows that once threatened to swallow him. Praise for "Man in Profile"" "" A] long-awaited biography of this demon-driven journalist . . . lovingly unearthed . . . exactly the sort of dope for which readers lustily gut the biography of a writer they love, the only kind of gossip that even begins to rival reading the writer's writing itself."--"Los Angeles Review of Books"" " "A compelling book on one of the more revered journalists of the twentieth century, warts and all."--Milwaukee "Journal Sentinel" "With "Man in Profile, "Thomas Kunkel has given us a revelatory portrait of one of the most admired and enigmatic journalists of the twentieth century, a celebration of the hidden people and places of New York City, and a literary mystery of the first order."--Gay Talese, author of "A Writer's Life"