Byron Dobell
| Byron Dobell | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1927 (age 88–89) |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | The High School of Music & Art, 1944[1] |
| Occupation | Writer, Editor, Artist |
| Known for | Portraiture |
Byron Dobell is an American writer, editor, and painter. He is considered "one of the most respected and accomplished editors in New York magazine publishing history," the editor of several popular American magazines, including American Heritage and Esquire.[2] He is credited with helping the early careers of many writers such as Tom Wolfe, David Halberstam and Mario Puzo. In 1998, Dobell was inducted into the American Society of Magazine Editors Hall of Fame.[3]
As a writer himself, Dobell has published essays and poems in The American Scholar, The Nation and The Southampton Review.
Journalism
Tom Wolfe
In 1962, Tom Wolfe approached Dobell at Esquire to propose an article on the hot rod and custom car culture of Southern California. Wolfe struggled with the article, developing writer's block, and was unable to complete it. Dobell suggested that Wolfe send him his notes so they could piece the story together. Wolfe procrastinated until, on the evening before the article was due, he worked all night typing a letter to Dobell explaining what he wanted to say on the subject, ignoring all journalistic conventions. Dobell's response was to remove the salutation "Dear Byron" from the top of the letter and publish it intact as reportage. The result, published in 1964, was "There Goes (Varoom! Varoom!) That Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby." The article was widely discussed — loved by some, hated by others — and helped Wolfe publish his first book, The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby.[4][5] Wolfe also credits Dobell with the idea of changing Sherman McCoy, the protagonist of Wolfe's novel Bonfire of the Vanities, from a writer to a bond trader.[6]
Mario Puzo
As the editor of Book World from 1967-1969, Dobell published numerous book reviews by Mario Puzo, including the first book review Puzo ever wrote. "I think Byron ... was the only guy who would have printed it and certainly the only guy who would have given it a front page."[7]
Art career
In 1990, Dobell left journalism to fulfill a long held passion: portraiture painting.[8] In the years that followed, Dobell painted many of his friends and colleagues, including New York Magazine founder Clay Felker and chief operating officer of Forbes, Tim Forbes.[8]
Dobell's paintings of Ted Kennedy, Betty Friedan and Clay Felker are on display at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery.[9]
He is an artist member of New York’s Century Association and was a Visiting Artist at the American Academy in Rome in 2006.[10]
As of 2015, Dobell has held 11 solo shows in New York City, primarily consisting of landscapes, portraits and life studies.[11]
References
- ↑ "Notable Alumni," Alumni & Friends of LaGuardia High School website. Accessed Oct. 28, 2016.
- ↑ Reagan, Gillian. "Byron Dobell, Former Ubiquitous New York Editor, Opens Art Show", The Observer, 7 July 2012. Accessed 8 June 2016.
- ↑ "Magazine Editors' Hall of Fame", American Society of Magazine Editors. Accessed 8 June 2016
- ↑ http://www.tomwolfe.com/KandyKoloredExcerpt.html
- ↑ Ragen, Brian Abel. (2002), Tom Wolfe; A Critical Companion, Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, ISBN 0-313-31383-0, Page 11
- ↑ http://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/entertainment/articles/2012-12/03/tom-wolfe-interview-back-to-blood/viewall
- ↑ The Godfather Papers and Other Confessions by Mario Puzo, G.P. Putnam's Sons, New York, 1972, pp. 81, 94, et al.
- 1 2 Reagan, Gillian. "The Editor Who Loved to Paint". The New York Observer. Retrieved 8 February 2013.
- ↑ http://www.npg.si.edu
- ↑ http://www.firststreetgallery.net/2008/show07-12.html
- ↑ The New Yorker, December 24, 2012, page 24