The Journalist and the Murderer by Janet Malcolm

The Journalist and the Murderer by Janet Malcolm

Named one of the 100 Best Nonfiction Books by The Modern Library and The Guardian * With surgical precision, Janet Malcolm dissects the famous case of journalist Joe McGinniss and murderer Jeffrey MacDonald. A riveting exploration of the uneasy dynamic between writers and their subjects and a must-read for anyone intrigued by journalism, the complexities of human nature, and true crime

Malcolm deftly analyzes the real-life lawsuit of Jeffrey MacDonald, a convicted murderer, against Joe McGinniss, the author of Fatal Vision. At the heart of this masterfully crafted narrative is McGinniss's controversial portrayal of MacDonald, a former Green Beret convicted of murdering his pregnant wife and two young daughters. While writing the true crime book Fatal Vision, McGinniss ingratiated himself with MacDonald under the guise of supporting his innocence, only to portray him as guilty in the final publication. The resulting libel case put McGinniss's methods on trial, sparking a gripping examination of the ethics governing the writer-subject covenant.

Through probing interviews with the key players - the principals, their lawyers, members of the jury, and expert witnesses - Malcolm provides an atmospheric retelling of the sensational trial. But her true subject is the treacherous territory writers must navigate when trying to objectively chronicle the lives of others.

With piercing self-awareness, Malcolm examines her own role and motivations, laying bare the inherent conflicts and power dynamics that arise when a journalist pursues a story. Her candid, rueful reflections transform a seemingly straightforward work of reportage into a profound exploration of journalistic ethics and the limits of factual truth.

Janet Malcolm (1934-2021) was the author of a number of works, including Two Lives: Gertrude and Alice, which won the PEN Biography Prize, The Journalist and the Killer, Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes, Reading Chekhov, Burdock, and others. Malcolm contributed to the New Yorker and the New York Review of Books on a regular basis.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780679731832
ISBN 10	0679731830
Title	The Journalist and the Murderer
Author	Janet Malcolm
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Random House USA Inc
Year published	1990-10-31
Number of pages	176
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.