Who should replace Pamela Paul at the NYT Books section?
The New York Times today announced that Pamela Paul, who has headed the paper’s Books section and hosted the Book Review podcast since 2013, will be moving to Times Opinion as part of the paper’s expansion of its columnist ranks.
Paul—the author of The Starter Marriage, Pornified, and My Life With Bob—will join a constantly-whinnying stable of exciting young progressive voices that includes David Brooks, Maureen Dowd, Ross Douthat, and Bret Stephens.
This means that the venerable New York Times Book Review—arguably the most influential book review publication in the country, if not the world—will soon be hiring a new editor. Who should get this plum gig?
Well, if I am to be passed over, again (cowards), I think they should offer the job to Parul Sehgal, who was the best critic at the paper before being poached by The New Yorker last year.
If Parul isn’t interested, there are still plenty of marvelous options out there. Because I’m a good literary citizen, I’ve compiled a comprehensive mental list of potential slayers and, let me tell you, it’s an absolute murderer’s row of Cool Millennial Critics—From Merve Emre to Julian Lucas, Patricia Lockwood (the discerning anarchist’s choice) to Jo Livingstone, Kaitlyn Greenidge to Alex Preston.
New York Times Executive Editor Dean Baquet, if you’re reading this, feel free to slide into my DMs and I’ll happily share the rest of the list.
