The Paris Review
In the spring of 1953, three young men named Harold L. Humes, Peter Matthiessen, and George Plimpton launched The Paris Review in a small room above the publishing house Éditions de la Table ronde. Postwar Paris offered a vibrant literary scene that attracted writers on the G.I. Bill seeking creative independence from American publishers. William Styron wrote an editorial statement for the inaugural issue declaring the magazine would emphasize fiction and poetry rather than criticism. The founding editors included Thomas Guinzburg and John P. C. Train alongside the original trio. Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan served as the first publisher while William Pène du Bois designed the iconic eagle logo featuring both American and French symbols. The magazine operated out of various locations including a Thames River grain carrier anchored on the Seine during 1956 and 1957. Staffers gathered at the Café de Tournon on the Rive Gauche to discuss their work with figures like Alexander Trocchi and Christopher Logue.
George Plimpton edited The Paris Review from its founding until his death in 2003 after fifty years of leadership. Brigid Hughes became the second editor and first female editor in January 2004 following Plimpton's passing. Her final issue appeared in March 2005 before Philip Gourevitch took over in spring 2005. Under Gourevitch, the publication began incorporating nonfiction pieces and regularly published photography spreads starting that same year. A four-volume set of interviews was released by Picador between 2006 and 2009. Gourevitch announced his departure in September 2009 to focus on his own creative writing. Lorin Stein assumed editorship in April 2010 and oversaw redesigns of both print edition and website that received critical acclaim. In September 2010, the magazine made its entire interview archive available online for free access. Stein resigned on the 6th of December 2017 following an internal investigation into allegations of sexual harassment toward women in the workplace. By late 2021, Stokes served as editor-in-chief while Na Kim worked as art director.
An interview with E. M. Forster marked the beginning of a long series now known as Writers at Work. Literary critic Joe David Bellamy described this collection as one of the most persistent acts of cultural conservation in world history. The series has featured conversations with Ezra Pound, Ernest Hemingway, T. S. Eliot, Jorge Luis Borges, Ralph Ellison, William Faulkner, Thornton Wilder, Robert Frost, Pablo Neruda, William Carlos Williams, and Vladimir Nabokov among hundreds of others. Prints from these interviews were compiled into four volumes published by Picador between 2006 and 2009. The complete archive became freely accessible online starting in September 2010. An iPad and iPhone app launched the 8th of October 2012 through developer Atavist included full interview archives alongside fiction and poetry sections. These digital collections allow readers to explore decades of literary conversation without physical constraints.
In January 2007, The New York Times reported that founding editor Peter Matthiessen had been employed by the Central Intelligence Agency during the magazine's early years. Historian Frances Stonor Saunders noted that while not directly funded by the CIA, The Paris Review operated within postwar networks supported by the Congress for Cultural Freedom. Archival records show occasional indirect benefits came from selling reprints to CCF-affiliated journals like Encounter and Preuves. The publication shared contributors and editors with those magazines throughout its history. Matthiessen later expressed regret over his CIA involvement while maintaining editorial independence from U.S. government interests. He insisted the magazine was never directed or influenced by intelligence agencies despite operating within their cultural ecosystem. This complex relationship between independent publishing and state-sponsored cultural programs remains a subject of historical debate among scholars studying Cold War era literature.
The magazine published selections from Samuel Beckett's novel Molloy in its fifth issue and recognized Jack Kerouac's work with "The Mexican Girl" story in 1955. Early issues featured Philip Larkin, Adrienne Rich, V. S. Naipaul, T. Coraghessan Boyle, Mona Simpson, Edward P. Jones, Terry Southern, Nadine Gordimer, Jean Genet, Robert Bly, and Rick Moody. Later publications included Italo Calvino's Last Comes the Raven, Philip Roth's Goodbye, Columbus, Donald Barthelme's Alice, Jim Carroll's The Basketball Diaries, Peter Matthiessen's Far Tortuga, Jeffrey Eugenides's The Virgin Suicides, and Jonathan Franzen's The Corrections. Three annual prizes honor different aspects of literary achievement: the Hadada, Plimpton Prize, and Terry Southern Prize for Humor. Winners are selected from stories and poems published the previous year and celebrated at the Spring Revel gala. The Hadada award goes to distinguished members demonstrating strong commitment to literature while the Plimpton Prize offers $10,000 plus an engraved ostrich egg to emerging writers. Recent winners include Caitlin Horrocks, Wells Tower, Alistair Morgan, Jesse Ball, Emma Cline, and Benjamin Percy.
In 1964, The Paris Review introduced a series of prints and posters by contemporary artists to establish ongoing relationships between writing and visual art. Drue Heinz shared credit with Jane Wilson for initiating this program that has featured 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 over fifty years. The series suspended after George Plimpton's death in 2003 was relaunched in 2012 with work by Donald Baechler. In late 2021, Matt Willey of Pentagram redesigned the journal to recall its late 1960s and early 1970s appearance with minimalist styling, sans serif covers, generous white space, smaller trim size, and softer paper texture. These physical changes reflected both historical homage and modern production techniques while maintaining the magazine's distinctive aesthetic identity.
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Common questions
When was The Paris Review founded and by whom?
The Paris Review launched in the spring of 1953. Three young men named Harold L. Humes, Peter Matthiessen, and George Plimpton started the magazine in a small room above Éditions de la Table ronde.
Who edited The Paris Review from its founding until 2003?
George Plimpton edited The Paris Review from its founding until his death in 2003 after fifty years of leadership. Brigid Hughes became the second editor and first female editor in January 2004 following Plimpton's passing.
What is the Writers at Work series in The Paris Review?
An interview with E. M. Forster marked the beginning of a long series now known as Writers at Work. The series has featured conversations with Ezra Pound, Ernest Hemingway, T. S. Eliot, Jorge Luis Borges, Ralph Ellison, William Faulkner, Thornton Wilder, Robert Frost, Pablo Neruda, William Carlos Williams, and Vladimir Nabokov among hundreds of others.
Did The Paris Review receive funding from the Central Intelligence Agency?
Historian Frances Stonor Saunders noted that while not directly funded by the CIA, The Paris Review operated within postwar networks supported by the Congress for Cultural Freedom. Archival records show occasional indirect benefits came from selling reprints to CCF-affiliated journals like Encounter and Preuves.
When did The Paris Review make its entire interview archive available online?
In September 2010, the magazine made its entire interview archive available online for free access. An iPad and iPhone app launched the 8th of October 2012 through developer Atavist included full interview archives alongside fiction and poetry sections.