ABSTRACT
No form of new journalism has been more attention compelling than the new nonfiction. It has brought success at several levels: a degree of fame and fortune for individual writers, a boon to the sagging circulations of some magazines, and a wise investment for publishing houses. Hundreds of writers employ the techniques of the new nonfiction. Several stand out, some because of their inventiveness as writers, others because of their articulate defense of the new journalism. In this chapter, the authors pay special attention to six practitioners of the new nonfiction. They include Tom Wolfe, Lillian Ross, Gay Talese, Jimmy Breslin, Truman Capote, and Norman Mailer. Singling out a few writers to illustrate the mechanics, viewpoint, and importance of the new nonfiction does not denigrate the contributions of their forerunners. A comprehensive history might include Stephen Crane and Mark Twain. It would also examine the nonfiction writing of George Orwell, Damon Runyon, John Steinbeck, Edmund Wilson, James Agee, and others.
