James wood new yorker

You're referring to James Wood, the renowned literary critic and author, who has been a staff writer at The New Yorker magazine since 1995!

James Wood is known for his insightful and incisive book reviews, as well as his essays on literature, culture, and politics. He has written extensively on a wide range of topics, from the works of great authors like Tolstoy, Dickens, and Austen, to contemporary fiction, nonfiction, and poetry.

Wood's writing is characterized by his erudite style, his keen analytical mind, and his ability to distill complex ideas and themes into clear and compelling prose. He has been praised for his ability to balance intellectual rigor with accessibility, making his reviews and essays appealing to both scholars and general readers.

Some of Wood's notable works include:

1. "The Broken Estate: Essays on Literature and Belief" (1999) - a collection of essays on literature, faith, and culture.
2. "The Irresponsible Self: On Laughter and the Novel" (2004) - a study of the role of humor and irony in literature.
3. "How Fiction Works" (2008) - a book-length essay on the art of fiction and the ways in which writers create meaning.
4. "Scenes of Clerical Life" (2012) - a collection of essays on literature, culture, and politics.

Wood has also been a vocal critic of contemporary literary trends, such as the rise of "postmodern" fiction and the decline of literary seriousness. He has been praised for his willingness to challenge prevailing opinions and to defend the importance of literary criticism in a rapidly changing cultural landscape.

Overall, James Wood is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential literary critics of his generation, and his writing continues to be widely read and debated by scholars, writers, and readers around the world.