The Editor Who Helped Build a Golden Age of American Letters
Summary
Greg Barnhisel profiles Malcolm Cowley, arguing that his editorial acumen and publishing strategies helped create a global audience for American literature after World War II. The piece traces how Cowley edited and packaged authors like Hemingway, Faulkner, Fitzgerald, Kerouac, and Kesey, turning them into foundational names of modern American letters and shaping the industry’s reputation. It also situates these achievements within broader economic and cultural shifts, noting how corporate consolidation and changing readership have altered the literary landscape.