The New Criterion

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Dear Subscriber,

In September, The New Criterion embarked upon its thirtieth-anniversary season. Thirty years! That would be an important milestone for any serious cultural review. For one as brash and forthright as The New Criterion, I think it may be a record.

Longtime readers will recall my fondness for William Dean Howell's remark that the "problem for a critic is not making enemies but keeping them." For three decades now, The New Criterion has rather excelled at both tasks—the making and the keeping of enemies—which is another way of saying that we have put honesty above acquiescence in our roster of critical virtues.

It hasn't been easy. A journal that is devoted to serious discussion of culture and the arts, but which is sponsored neither by academia nor by the government—one which is, indeed, regularly critical of the hermeticism and anemic radicalism of academia and the jejune populism that accompanies governmental forays into culture and the arts; a journal, moreover, that eschews the dead hand of political correctness and puts a premium on lively writing about important topics: How often do you see that combination come along?

In our inaugural issue in September 1982, we promised to speak "plainly and vigorously about the problems that beset the life of the arts and the life of the mind in our society." This we have done month in and month out for thirty seasons. Along the way, we've attracted the best writers, the smartest thinkers, and the most engaged readers of any magazine in English.

But to repeat: it has not been easy. For one thing, the forces of intellectual and cultural conformity do not welcome the cold light of critical scrutiny. What they want is cheerleading for the latest trend, no matter how nugatory or (as is often the case) morally repellent. In such an environment, an enterprise like The New Criterion operates as an equal-opportunity irritant, disturbing complacencies and challenging unacknowledged orthodoxies.

The New Criterion, purveying independent criticism of the status quo, has always encountered a good deal of friction from the ambient cultural establishment. That friction has kept us on our toes as we have striven to be illuminating, not popular. And of course we have faced other difficulties. Keeping the doors open, the lights on, and the keyboards click-clacking away has always been challenging. The worldwide economic crisis of the last several years has upped the ante dramatically. We have always depended on our readers and friends to keep body and soul—not to say paper and printing press—together. Over the last few years, several of our largest donors have had to curtail their support; some have had to end it altogether. Here's the truth of the matter: if you, our readers, had not risen to the challenge these last few years, The New Criterion would be celebrating (if "celebrating" is the mot juste) its obsequies, not its thirtieth anniversary.

The New Criterion will never get, nor will it seek, a government bailout. Nor do we hire professional fundraisers to knock on every door. We address our readers as what they have become: an extended family of collaborators in a cultural enterprise that coalesces around a magazine and ripples outward in many independent initiatives, from our numerous Friends events to nationally televised conferences, like our panel on the virtues of limited government last year.

Although The New Criterion is indisputably a lean operation, we are engaged in more initiatives than ever before. We are also making inroads with new readers through our commitment to the latest technology. The magazine is now available for the Kindle, iPad, and other e-readers. We have expanded our social networking presence and recently launched Twitter and Facebook pages; on our website, we post webcasts and recordings of our conferences and lectures and now have a searchable archive of every article going back to our first issue.

I hope that by now you have had a chance to peruse the first few installments of our anniversary series "Future Tense: The Lessons of Culture in an Age of Upheaval." There's a lot I could say about those essays—to date, we've published sterling pieces by Michael J. Lewis, Victor Davis Hanson, and Andrew Roberts—but for now I want to stress that one fact: that the future is tense. We have a lot to conjure with. On the occasion of an earlier anniversary, the cultural commentator John O'Sullivan employed his usual understatement to observe that The New Criterion was "quite simply, the best cultural review in the world." Our thirtieth anniversary has elicited similarly gratifying statements from critics across America, England, and Australia. I won't retail them here because, if you are receiving this letter, it is overwhelmingly likely that you already know that the encomia are right: "In a time of tinsel, [The New Criterion] recalls the age of gold."

Mention of gold brings me to the crux or nub of this appeal. The bottom line is this: if The New Criterion is going to continue, it needs the dedicated support of the people it is published for: discerning readers who profit from lively writing about important cultural and historical topics and who share our allergy to the politically correct, intellectually moribund cultural establishment.

In honor of our thirtieth anniversary, I hope you will consider making a special gift. Keep the number 3 in mind. If you gave $100 last time, a donation of $300 will tell us you'd like to honor this anniversary in an important way. If you last gave $2,000, a gift of $3,000 will be an extra cause of celebration. If you last gave $10,000, a leadership donation of $30,000 will help ensure The New Criterion continues to flourish for many years to come. It saddens me to report, but it is nonetheless true, that some recipients of these appeals have never given. If you are in that awkward position, consider how easy it would be to redeem yourself. And if this letter puts you in mind of the parable of the prodigal son—if you've given previously but somehow neglected to recently—rest assured that we are poised to welcome you back with open arms.

The New Criterion is in a parlous situation. Our future is in your hands. I hope that you will celebrate this thirtieth-anniversary season by rallying to the cause with a special birthday donation.

Best regards,

Roger Kimball
Editor and Publisher

P.S. No such letter is complete without a post scriptum reinforcing the urgency of its message. Let me do this by providing a bill of particulars. We need to raise $310,000 through this appeal; find your place on the following!

3 people to give $30,000………………………………………………$90,000
4 people to give $10,000………………………………………………$40,000
9 people to give $5,000…………………………………………..……$45,000
30 people to give $3,000………………………………………………$90,000
120 people to give $300 ………………………………………………$36,000
300 people to give $30……………………………………………...…$9,000

TOTAL: $310,000

P.P.S. Carry your New Criterion—and your generosity—in style. As a toke of our appreciation, a gift of $150 or more entitles you to a complimentary New Criterion 30th Anniversary boat bag.

Or consider joining us as a Friend of The New Criterion with a donation of $2,000 or more. This year Friends-level donations will also be eligible for the boat bag and any or all of the books on our list. 

Leadership gifts of $30,000 or more will receive special mention in "Notes & Comments" (and, need we say, all the goodies above?). The New Criterion would not be here without sustainers like you. Thank you.