November 5, 2025
Roaring takes, ruffled feathers
The Last Literary Lion of New York, Gay Talese
Legend praised, pedants yell “Pynchon!”, and ethics nerds spar over “no hatchet jobs”
TLDR: A glowing profile hails 93-year-old Gay Talese as New York’s last “literary lion,” but commenters quickly shout “What about Pynchon?” and argue over Talese’s “no hatchet jobs” approach. It’s a fight over fame vs. recluses and kindness vs. tough reporting—why icons matter, and how we write about them.
The internet lined up to crown 93-year-old Gay Talese as New York’s last roaring “literary lion”—and then the comments pounced. The loudest clapback? “Um, actually”: one reader pointed out that reclusive novelist Thomas Pynchon is very much alive in NYC, poking a hole in the “last of his kind” vibe. Cue a debate over what makes a “lion”: celebrity swagger like Talese’s suits and Sinatra lore, or a mythic recluse like Pynchon who never plays the fame game.
Meanwhile, a pulled quote about Talese’s method—befriending subjects and “never” doing hatchet jobs—sparked a second brawl. Admirers called it old-school class, the reporting equivalent of showing up, shutting up, and listening. Skeptics heard “access journalism,” warning that being too cozy can smooth out the rough edges. The thread lit up with jokes about Talese’s dapper three-piece suits (“he tailors sources too?”) and his late-night movie habit (“Grandpa’s seen more films than Letterboxd”), but the core split remained: is kindness a craft or a compromise?
In short, the community turned a love letter into a lively courtroom. The Pynchon Patrol fact-checked the headline, the Hatchet Squad demanded harder edges, and everyone agreed on one thing: Talese is still out here, cane and all, reminding New York how swagger used to be done.
Key Points
- •Gay Talese, age 93, is profiled as a leading figure in literary journalism with landmark profiles of Frank Sinatra and Joe DiMaggio.
- •He has lived in a Manhattan townhouse since the 1950s and often focused his reporting on marginalized groups and subcultures.
- •The Metropolitan Review conducted a nearly three-hour interview in August covering topics from his work to personal habits and experiences.
- •Talese shares anecdotes involving William Styron and Philip Roth, and discusses his long marriage to book editor Nan Talese, 91.
- •He describes current routines and health: late-night film watching, occasional cane use, a hand tremor affecting writing, and past interactions with Donald Trump at Yankee Stadium.