David Remnick

Host, The New Yorker Radio Hour

David Remnick has been editor of The New Yorker since 1998 and a staff writer since 1992...

He has written many pieces for the magazine, including reporting from Russia, the Middle East, and Europe, and Profiles of Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Katharine Graham, Mike Tyson, Ralph Ellison, Philip Roth, and Benjamin Netanyahu.

Remnick began his reporting career as a staff writer at the Washington Post in 1982, where he covered stories for the Metro, Sports, and Style sections. In 1988, he started a four-year tenure as a Washington Post Moscow correspondent, an experience that formed the basis of his 1993 book on the former Soviet Union, “Lenin’s Tomb: The Last Days of the Soviet Empire.” In 1994, “Lenin’s Tomb” received both the Pulitzer Prize for nonfiction and a George Polk Award for excellence in journalism.

Since Remnick became editor, The New Yorker has garnered a hundred and forty-nine nominations for National Magazine Awards and has won thirty-seven. In 2001 and again in 2005, the magazine won an unprecedented five National Magazine Awards; in 2014, the magazine won four awards. In addition, in 2000 Remnick was named Advertising Age’s Editor of the Year.

Remnick has written six books: “Lenin’s Tomb,” “Resurrection: The Struggle for a New Russia,” “King of the World” (a biography of Muhammad Ali), “The Bridge” (a biography of Barack Obama), and “The Devil Problem” and “Reporting,” which are collections of some of his pieces from the magazine. Remnick has edited many anthologies of New Yorker pieces, including “Life Stories,” “Wonderful Town,” “The New Gilded Age,” “Fierce Pajamas,” “Secret Ingredients,” and “Disquiet, Please!”

Remnick has contributed to The New York Review of BooksVanity FairEsquire, andThe New Republic. He has been a Visiting Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and has taught at Princeton, where he received his B.A., in 1981, and at Columbia. He lives in New York with his wife, Esther Fein; they have three children, Alex, Noah, and Natasha.

Shows:

David Remnick appears in the following:

How a Republican and a Democrat Carved out Exemptions to Texas’s Abortion Ban

Friday, April 12, 2024

Rare across-the-aisle coöperation in Austin aims to protect some people who need abortions and the doctors who provide them. Plus, a band rehearsal with songwriter and actor Maya Hawke.

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The Attack on Black History, with Nikole Hannah-Jones and Jelani Cobb

Friday, April 05, 2024

Why are so many states legislating restrictions on what schools can teach about racism? Plus, the film critic Justin Chang on what he’s looking forward to seeing in 2024.

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Alicia Keys Returns to Her Roots with Her New Musical, “Hell’s Kitchen”

Friday, March 29, 2024

In her musical opening on Broadway, Keys tells a story very much like her own life—but don’t call it autobiographical. Plus, Rhiannon Giddens on the Black roots of country music.

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Trump’s Authoritarian Pronouncements Recall a Dark History

Friday, March 22, 2024

Adam Gopnik considers how Hitler came to power, and what it tells us about the 2024 election. Plus, rewriting “Huckleberry Finn” from the point of view of Jim.

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Judith Butler Can’t “Take Credit or Blame” for Gender Furor

Friday, March 15, 2024

The philosopher popularized new ideas about gender—and has been burned in effigy for it. They talk with David Remnick about “Who’s Afraid of Gender?” Plus, a little March Madness.

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In “Great Expectations,” Vinson Cunningham Watches Barack Obama’s Rise Up Close

Friday, March 08, 2024

The journalist’s autobiographical novel reflects his time working on Barack’s Obama’s campaign, and in his White House. Plus, Bradley Cooper’s shot at Oscar glory.

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What Biden Is Thinking About the 2024 Election

Friday, March 01, 2024

The staff writer Evan Osnos had a rare, frank talk with the President about his battle for a second term. Plus, Kara Swisher falls out of love with tech in “Burn Book.”

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Ty Cobb on Trump, Putin, and Navalny, and Native Actress Lily Gladstone on Holding the Door Open

Friday, February 23, 2024

According to the ex-Trump White House attorney Ty Cobb, the former President’s preoccupation with Russia is about jealousy, not conspiracy. Plus, Lily Gladstone on making Oscar history.

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“Pod Save America” ’s Jon Lovett on Trump: “The Threat of Jail Time Sharpens the Mind”

Friday, February 16, 2024

The co-host of the popular podcast explains how the withering of the media and the threat of political violence are warping the Presidential campaign. Plus, the writer Brontez Purnell.

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Is 2024 the Meme Election?

Friday, February 09, 2024

Our media columnist wonders if the election will be decided on social-media memes. Plus, the comedian Jacqueline Novak talks about “Get on Your Knees,” her new special on Netflix.

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The Immigration Battle in Washington, and the Real Crisis at the Border

Friday, February 02, 2024

Now that the border crisis has migrated into blue cities, it’s become impossible for the White House to avoid addressing a political liability. Plus, the author Sheila Heti’s new book.

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For Journalists, “Gaza Is Unprecedented,” and Deadly

Friday, January 26, 2024

The death toll for journalists in Gaza is extremely high, and Israel has been accused of targeting them. Plus, a conversation with the Oscar-nominated director Cord Jefferson.

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How Donald Trump Broke the Iowa Caucuses and Owns the G.O.P.

Friday, January 12, 2024

The former President has upended the 2024 Republican contest without participating in a debate, and barely campaigning on the ground. Plus, actress Danielle Brooks on “The Color Purple.”

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Ava DuVernay Wants Her Film “Origin” to Influence the 2024 Election

Friday, January 05, 2024

“Origin,” DuVernay's adaptation of Isabel Wilkerson’s best-seller “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents,” may be her most ambitious undertaking to date.

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The Crisis at the Border

Friday, December 29, 2023

Dexter Filkins reports on the chaotic situation at the southern border. Plus, a poet whose writing on the DeafBlind experience is full of humor and life. 

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Bruce Springsteen Has a Gift He Keeps on Giving

Friday, December 22, 2023

After nearly half a century, the singer-songwriter has cemented his status as a rock-and-roll legend. But, true to form, he hasn’t rested on his laurels.

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Bruce Springsteen Has a Gift He Keeps on Giving

Friday, December 22, 2023

After nearly half a century, the singer-songwriter has cemented his status as a rock-and-roll legend. But, true to form, he hasn’t rested on his laurels.

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A Harrowing Detention in Gaza

Friday, December 15, 2023

A Palestinian writer is detained by Israeli forces while he tries to flee Gaza with his family. Plus, a story of Christmas at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran.

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Liz Cheney: Trump Should Go to Jail if Convicted

Friday, December 08, 2023

Once a top Republican, Cheney is calling out former colleagues in Congress, like Speaker Mike Johnson, for “enabling” a would-be dictator. Plus, a live performance from Brandy Clark.

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Dolly Parton “Busted a Gut” Reaching for the High Notes on “Rockstar”

Friday, December 01, 2023

The country legend finds freedom in her first venture into rock. Plus, Jill Lepore, Jelani Cobb, and Evan Osnos on how American democracy got so precarious.

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