Rich will leave the paper to join the New York Magazine. He has been an op-ed columnist at the New York Times since 1994, and was the paper's chief drama critic from 1980 to 1993.
New York Magazine editor-in-chief Adam Moss writes,
Frank Rich is a giant — a powerhouse critic of politics and culture, a rigorous thinker, a glorious stylist, a skeptic and optimist at the same time. There is just no one like him in American journalism. He is also a friend. I have had the privilege to work with him for almost 25 years. Since the day I came to New York, I have hoped I could persuade him to join us here. I'm ecstatic that he will now be bringing his wisdom to our growing audience. This is a very big day for New York.”
Rich says,
There is no greater newspaper than the Times. I leave the paper with deep affection for both the institution and my many brilliant colleagues, and with much gratitude for the opportunity the paper gave me to serve in two dream jobs in journalism.”
And in The NY Times he explains his motivation,
I found myself hungering to write with more reflection, at greater length at times, in a wider and perhaps experimental variety of forms (whether in print or online), and without feeling at the mercy of the often hysterical exigencies of the 24/7 modern news cycle. While some columnists are adept at keeping their literary bearings over long careers, those who stay too long risk turning bland or shrill. I wanted to quit before I succumbed, and spent a year talking to friends in journalism to figure out what was the best road for me to take next.”
Which, as we all know, is very true. There is a fairly long list of critics who maybe should have faced new challenges, and sought new stimuli, years ago. Rich concludes his article in the Times' Opinion Pages yesterday with the following,
Of all the things I've done at The Times, there may be none I'm prouder of than, in my critic's days, championing “Sunday in the Park with George,” Stephen Sondheim's and James Lapine's 1984 musical about two artists in two different eras restless to create something new. For a quarter-century now, the show's climactic song has inspired countless people in all walks of life when the time has come to take a leap. “Stop worrying where you're going,” the Sondheim lyric goes. “Move on.”
Graham Spicer is a writer, director and photographer in Milan, blogging (under the name ‘Gramilano') about dance, opera, music and photography for people “who are a bit like me and like some of the things I like”. He was a regular columnist for Opera Now magazine and wrote for the BBC until transferring to Italy.
His scribblings have appeared in various publications from Woman's Weekly to Gay Times, and he wrote the ‘Danza in Italia' column for Dancing Times magazine.
