Joanna Hershon and Adelle Waldman Grow in Brooklyn
Bridge Over Troubled Writers: Authors Joanna Hershon (left) and Adelle Waldman talk shop. Image by nate lavey
By Adam Langer August 7, 2013
Two of the strongest novels published so far this year, Joanna Hershon’s “A Dual Inheritance” and Adelle Waldman’s “The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P.,” happen to be written by young, Brooklyn-based Jewish women writing smartly and wittily from the perspectives of men. This might not be a remarkable fact in and of itself: Look for a smart, witty novelist these days, and 50% of the time you’ll wind up seeing a Brooklyn address. And apart from some crossover in themes and signifiers, the books are markedly different in style and subject matter. “A Dual Inheritance” is a wonderfully and classically constructed old school novel spanning 50 years in the lives of two friends who met while they were undergraduates at Harvard. “Nathaniel P.” is a slimmer work but no less deft or ambitious as it delves into the mind of a sad, young literary cad from (where else?) Brooklyn. Nevertheless, the Forward took the opportunity to bring these two authors together in (where else?) Brooklyn. I met with them by the famed Jane’s Carousel on the waterfront to discuss their thoughts on their inspirations and on writing from the perspectives of men (Jewish and otherwise).
— Adam Langer
Why I became the Forward’s editor-in-chief
You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.
And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.
— Alyssa Katz, editor-in-chief
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
