Copyright 1999 The American Reporter. All Rights Reserved.

ATLANTIC'S 'CURRENT' SHIFTS FROM BOSTON TO WASHINGTON
by Allan R. Andrews

Just this week a former colleague wrote me about what he called "some of the finest writing you'll ever want to see -- and the story's about camels." The story appeared in the latest issue of The Atlantic, written by the magazine's managing editor, Cullen Murphy.

My friend's letter was a timely correspondence because I was just getting ready to expound on the fine writing I'd discovered this month in the latest issue of the Atlantic.

There's a fascinating piece about military history, arguing that the field is largely disdained or neglected by historians despite having an inordinate influence on the march of time. This struck me particularly sharply because I recall that almost every history course I've taken from high school onward has focussed on war as the watershed event of each particular era we studied.

Another piece praises modern bluegrass music, especially that on the latest release of Steve Earle called "The Mountain." It may surprise readers to know that Washington, D.C., is a hotbed of bluegrass music. It was here that such groups as The Country Gentlemen and The Seldom Scene rose to legendary status among bluegrass aficionados. The local public radio station under the auspices of American University in the city's Northwest sector programs many hours of bluegrass and traditional acoustic country music during the week, even airing a three- or four-hour Sunday morning show called "Stained Glass Blue Grass" that plays all country gospel music.

Yet more comes out of the Atlantic this month to feed the soul longing for great writing. Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky analyzes a host of poems, some of them old chestnuts, to demonstrate that America has a rich cultural memory. One of Pinsky's telling observations is that many Congressman have memorized Longfellow's "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere."

Sociologist-philosopher Peter Drucker provides the cover story with his wide-ranging look at the future of the information revolution. Even if one disagrees with or dismisses much of Drucker's speculation, one must appreciate the flair with which Drucker pronounces his conclusions about our culture.

One last piece in the October Atlantic I'll recommend to readers: Matthew Doherty's piece about truck driving that is really a set of fine observations and image-filled writing, called "On the Big Road." Doherty, preparing himself to enter an MFA program in writing, took a job as a long-distance truck driver. This piece is his tale of his adventure on the road. It won Doherty the 1998 student-writing contest for essays sponsored by the magazine.

Doherty's piece soars when he eruditely and poetically describes the trucker's experience of "washing the tires" at some of his favorite entrance ramps along the nation's highways, ramps that lend themselves to modest but necessary relieving of the driver's bladder.

Just when I'm readying to write a paean of praise to the Atlantic, its owner ups and dumps it, and it doing so leaves a situation that portends subtle change.

Newspaper reports said many of the shocked staff of the magazine in Boston were on the verge of tears and breakdowns when learning of the surprise sale. To add to the discomfort, reports said the new owner would replace the Atlantic's editor, William Whitworth, who has steered the magazine for two decades.

Another report in The Washington Post, quoted the new editor, Michael Kelly, in a fashion that gives bright hope to those of us who have come to appreciate The Atlantic as a bulwark of American literary culture.

Speaking about the new owner, Kelly said of Bradley, "He presented himself as a person who was dedicated to the idea that magazines, journalism, should be about wonderful writing and reporting, great editorial quality."

This sounds good for readers. That's what the Atlantic provided under Zuckerman's laissez-faire ownership. I suspect Bradley may be a bit more involved in the content of the magazine.

One thing is clear, all the new top dogs of The Atlantic are based in Washington instead of Boston where the magazine has its offices It will be a shame if the magazine is reshaped to speak to the mentality inside the D.C. Beltway.

(Incidentally, both the Atlantic and the National Journal maintain excellent Web sites, although it appears the Journal is a bit more protective of its content, which might be a small sign of bad news for the free flow of literary writing that the Atlantic has championed.)

It occurs to me that the October authors -- Pinsky, Drucker, Doherty, and Murphy -- all speak to culture outside of the Washington milieu, which is where the National Journal lives and moves and has its being.

Let's hope the new owner and editor recognize and give voice to an American culture beyond the corridors of political power.

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Allan R. Andrews can be contacted at andrews852@verizon.net