A. J. Liebling | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Abbott Joseph Liebling October 18, 1904 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | December 28, 1963 (aged 59) New York City, U.S. |
| Occupation | Journalist |
| Spouses | Ann Beatrice McGinn
(m. 1934; div. 1949)Lucille Spectorsky
(m. 1949; div. 1959) |
Abbott Joseph Liebling (October 18, 1904 – December 28, 1963) was an American journalist who was closely associated with The New Yorker from 1935 until his death. His New York Times obituary called him "a critic of the daily press, a chronicler of the prize ring, an epicure and a biographer of such diverse personages as Gov. Earl Long of Louisiana and Col. John R. Stingo."[1] He was known for dubbing Chicago "The Second City" and for the aphorism "Freedom of the press is guaranteed only to those who own one."[2][3][4] Liebling's boxing book The Sweet Science was named the greatest sports book of all time by Sports Illustrated.[5] Liebling was a connoisseur of French cuisine, a subject he wrote about in Between Meals: An Appetite For Paris. Pete Hamill, editor of a Library of America anthology of Liebling's writings, said "He was a gourmand of words, in addition to food... he retained his taste for 'low' culture too: boxers and corner men, conmen and cigar store owners, political hacks and hack operators. They're all celebrated in [his] pages."[6]
- ^ "A. J. Liebling, Journalist and Critic, Dies at 59". The New York Times. December 29, 1963.
- ^ Sarah S. Marcus. "Chicago's Twentieth-Century Cultural Exports". The Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago. Retrieved April 19, 2009.
- ^ Keyes, Ralph (2006). The Quote Verifier. New York: St. Martin's Griffin. ISBN 978-0-312-34004-9.
- ^ Liebling, A.J. (1975). The Press (2nd ed.). New York: Pantheon Press. p. 32.
- ^ McEntegart, Pete (December 16, 2002). "The Top 100 Sports Books of All Time". Sports Illustrated.
- ^ "Pete Hamill on A. J. Liebling: The Sweet Science and Other Writings". September 22, 2009.