Famed journalist Gay Talese couldn’t name a single female non-fiction writer he admires over the weekend, but that didn’t stop The New Yorker from publishing his latest piece.
The “Frank Sinatra Has a Cold” writer was taking questions from the audience after delivering a keynote at a journalism conference Saturday at Boston University when he had a hard time naming a female writer he cared for, according to the New York Post.
Talese said he “didn’t know any women writers that I loved” and “educated women” tend to be uncomfortable speaking with “anti-social” or “uneducated” characters. The social media backlash was immediate and many people headed for the exits after Talese’s remarks. Despite the controversial comments, The New Yorker published a long-form Talese piece about a man who purchased a motel to watch the guests have sex.
Talese: Women reporters don't feel comfortable dealing with unsavory, interesting, dangerous characters.
— Rebecca Eisenberg 🥯 (@ryeisenberg) April 2, 2016
“The Voyeur’s Motel” will appear in the April 11 issue of The New Yorker. As one Twitter follower said, it’s “not just any Talese story but….a super creepy male gaze-y one.”
Talese’s famous 1966 Esquire profile, “Frank Sinatra Has a Cold,” ushered in the era of so-called “New Journalism.” The 15,000-word story is widely considered one of the best celebrity profiles ever.