06/09/26
Today, in good taste.
A small, deliberate edit of the writing, criticism, and conversation worth your attention. Delivered at 8 in the morning and 5 in the afternoon.
5 PM Edit
- 01
Marjane Satrapi, the Franco-Iranian graphic novelist and filmmaker whose autobiographical work Persepolis became one of the most celebrated comics of the 21st century, died on June 3 at the age of 56. Her family's statement noted she died of sadness, more than a year after the death of her husband and the love of her life, producer Mattias Ripa.
Read the piece - 02
An incisive critique of the current media landscape and the pivot toward personality-driven newsletters over institutional reporting. Mahanta questions whether the democratization of media has inadvertently destroyed the editorial standards necessary for a healthy democracy.
Read the piece - 03
Gay Talese's April 1966 Esquire profile of Frank Sinatra, written without a single interview from the singer himself, is widely considered the greatest celebrity profile ever published and a founding text of New Journalism. Its return to the conversation is timely: the New York Public Library announced in May 2026 the acquisition of Talese's entire professional archive, including the original handwritten shirt-board outline for this very piece.
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