Many credit the articles that Gay Talese wrote in the 1960s as the beginning of New Journalism. That success led to a series of books -- about New York, the city where he lives; about The New York Times, where he worked as a reporter; about a Mafia crime family; about Americans' sex lives; and about the history of his family and the immigrant experience.
In fall 2003, Esquire magazine celebrated its 70th anniversary by republishing Talese's piece "Sinatra Has a Cold" and declared it the best article in its history. At the age of 74, the writer has a new book out, called Gay Talese: A Writer's Life.
In the book, Talese details his leap from the Times to pursue a career writing books (11 in total) and long-form magazine journalism. He provides the back-story behind his profiles of Sinatra and Joe DiMaggio. And he examines the shifting path of American sexuality over the last 50 years.
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