William Shawn

William Shawn
Born	William Chon (1907-08-31)August 31, 1907 Chicago,Illinois,U.S.
Died	December 8, 1992(1992-12-08)(aged 85) New York City,U.S.
Alma mater	University of Michigan
Occupation	Magazine editor
Spouse	Cecille Lyon ​ (m.1928)​
Children	3, includingWallaceandAllen

William Shawn(néChon;August 31, 1907 – December 8, 1992) was an American magazine editor who editedThe New Yorkerfrom 1952 until 1987.

Early life and education

Shawn was born William Chon on August 31, 1907, inChicago,Illinois,to Benjamin T. Chon,a cutlery salesman, and Anna Bransky Chon. He was the youngest of five. His older siblings were Harold (1892-1967), Melba (1894-1964), Nelson (1898-1974), and Myron (1902-1987). His family were non-observant Jews from Eastern Europe.William dropped out of theUniversity of Michiganafter two years (1925-1927)and began working.

Career

Early years

Shawn traveled toLas Vegas, New Mexico,where he worked at the local newspaper,The Optic.He returned to Chicago and worked as a journalist. Around 1930 he changed the spelling of his last name toShawn.In 1932, he and his wife, Cecille, moved toNew York City,where he tried to start a career as a composer.

AtThe New Yorker

Soon after their arrival in New York City, Cecille took afact checkingjob atThe New Yorkermagazine, and her husband began working there in 1933.His temperament contrasted with that of the magazine's founderHarold Ross.Colleagues later described him as "shy", "deferential", having a "strange presence".Lillian Rossrecalled that Shawn believed in the value of every life, even that ofHitler.Shawn stayed with the magazine for 53 years.

As assistant editor

Shawn rose to assistant editor ofThe New Yorkerand oversaw the magazine's coverage ofWorld War II.He had been trying to get a story out ofJohn Herseyfor years. AfterLifemagazine rejected Hersey's profile of future presidentJohn F. Kennedy,Shawn seized the opportunity. The story ran inTheNew Yorkerand was reprinted in theReader's Digest.Hundreds of thousands of copies were distributed during Kennedy's campaigns for theU.S. House of Representativesand the presidency.In 1946, Shawn persuaded Ross to run Hersey's story about theatomic bombingofHiroshimaas the entire contents of one issue. He left for a few months shortly after that to write on his own, but soon returned.

As editor

A few weeks after Ross died in December 1951, Shawn was named editor.His quiet style was a marked contrast to Ross's noisy manner. Whereas Ross constantly wrote letters to his contributors, Shawn hated to share anything, especially on paper. His shyness was office (and New York) legend, as were hisclaustrophobiaand fear ofelevators;many of his colleagues maintain that he carried a hatchet in his briefcase, in case he became trapped.

Shawn would buy articles and then not run them for years, if ever. Staff members were given offices and salaries even if they produced little for the magazine;Joseph Mitchell,whose work had appeared regularly during the 1950s and early 1960s, continued to come to his office from 1965 until his death in 1996 without ever publishing another word. Shawn gave writers vast space to cover their subjects, and nearly all of them (includingDwight Macdonald,Hannah Arendt,and England'sKenneth Tynan) spoke reverently of him.J. D. Salingeradored him, and dedicatedFranny and Zooeyto Shawn.

WhileThe Addams Familycomics debuted inThe New Yorkerin 1938, Shawn banned them from the publication following the release of the1964 TV series,as he did not want the image of his publication associated with a mainstream sitcom. The ban remained in effect long after the TV series concluded, persisting until Shawn's retirement in 1987.

Later years

WhenAdvance Publicationsbought the magazine in 1985, the new owners promised that the magazine's editorship would not change hands until Shawn chose to retire. But speculation about his successor, a longtime topic of publishing-world chatter, grew.

Shawn had been editor for a very long time, and the usual criticism of the magazine—that it had become stale and dull—was growing more pointed. In retrospect, the journalistJoseph Noceradescribed him as "legendary, if wildly overrated."Advance chairmanS.I. Newhouseforced Shawn out in February 1987,and—after reportedly telling Shawn that he would honor his request to name his deputy Charles McGrath to succeed him—replaced Shawn withRobert Gottlieb,the editor-in-chief at the well-regarded book publisherAlfred A. Knopf.

Saturday Night Liveexecutive producerLorne Michaels,a longtime admirer, gave Shawn office space in theBrill Building,and he soon took an editorship atFarrar, Straus and Giroux,a largely honorary post that he held until his death in 1992.

Awards and achievements

In 1988, Shawn received theGeorge Polk Career Awardin recognition of his lifelong achievements.

Personal life

Shawn married journalist Cecille Lyon (1906–2005) in 1928, and the couple had three children: writer and actorWallace Shawn,and twinsAllen Shawnand Mary. Mary, who was eventually diagnosed with autism, was sent away from the family when she was eight years old to attend a special school, and later institutionalized.Allen became a composer. In 2007, he published a memoir,Wish I Could Be There,centering on his phobias.In 2010, he published a memoir,Twin,about his childhood and his relationship with his sister.

In 1996, Shawn's longtimeNew YorkercolleagueLillian Rosswrote in a memoir that she and Shawn had had an affair from 1950 until his death, with Lyon's knowledge.Ross said that Shawn was also active in raising her adopted son, Erik. The memoir's publication was controversial, in part because Shawn deeply valued his privacy.

Influences and legacy

• In 1998, Indian authorVed Mehta,who worked with Shawn atThe New Yorkerfor almost three decades, published a biography of Shawn,Remembering Mr. Shawn's New Yorker: The Invisible Art of Editing.

In popular culture

• Shawn was portrayed in the 2005 filmCapotebyBob Balabanand in the 2012 filmHannah ArendtbyNicholas Woodeson.