Loading organizations...
Key people at The New Criterion Magazine and Encounter Books Publishing Company.
The New Criterion Magazine and Encounter Books Publishing Company provide integrated platforms for cultural and intellectual criticism. The New Criterion, a monthly journal, offers essays and reviews across arts, literature, and public affairs, championing traditional standards. Encounter Books publishes non-fiction, expanding this mission through books on history, politics, and philosophy.
Founded in 1982, The New Criterion was established by art critic Hilton Kramer and pianist Samuel Lipman. Their core insight stemmed from a perceived decline in intellectual and artistic standards. This prompted creation of a forum defending traditional values; Encounter Books later broadened this endeavor via book publishing.
Their audience comprises academics, policymakers, and discerning readers seeking cultural and political critique. Both organizations preserve and advance Western intellectual traditions. Their vision is to enrich public discourse by promoting informed criticism and publishing works articulating enduring ideas.
Key people at The New Criterion Magazine and Encounter Books Publishing Company.
The New Criterion is a New York-based monthly literary magazine and journal of artistic and cultural criticism, founded in 1982, that champions high cultural standards and critiques politicization in the arts.[2][5] Encounter Books, an affiliated non-profit publisher launched in 1998, specializes in conservative non-fiction on politics, history, religion, biography, education, public policy, and social sciences, operating under Encounter for Culture and Education to strengthen the marketplace of ideas.[1][3] Together, they form a cohesive intellectual enterprise led by Roger Kimball—editor/publisher of The New Criterion and president/publisher of Encounter Books—emphasizing Western cultural achievements, liberty, and resistance to ideological conformity.[1][3][5]
These entities do not function as a tech investment firm or startup; instead, they publish books and criticism to influence cultural and political discourse, serving readers, academics, and policymakers seeking conservative perspectives on intellectual life.[1][2][3]
The New Criterion was established in 1982 by Hilton Kramer, former *New York Times* art critic, and Samuel Lipman, a pianist and music critic, in response to what they saw as ideological corruption in mainstream cultural criticism.[2][5] Kramer left the *Times* citing "disgusting and deleterious doctrines" and a "cultural drift" undermining artistic seriousness, positioning the magazine as a bold defender of "the best that has been thought and said."[2][5]
Encounter Books originated in 1998 in San Francisco, founded by Peter Collier with support from the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, named after the Cold War-era *Encounter* magazine by Irving Kristol and Stephen Spender (later revealed to have CIA backing).[1][3][4] Collier, a biographer and editor, ran it until 2005, when Roger Kimball—already co-editor of *The New Criterion*—took over and relocated it to New York City in 2006.[1][3][6] This integration humanized both as extensions of anti-totalitarian intellectual traditions, evolving from Cold War magazines to modern conservative publishing.[4]
The New Criterion and Encounter Books operate outside the tech startup ecosystem, focusing on traditional publishing amid digital media shifts.[1][2] They counter "soft totalitarianism of intellectual conformity" in an era of Big Tech censorship—e.g., Amazon's 2021 ban of an Encounter title highlighted marketplace distortions.[1][3] This positions them as cultural bulwarks against tech-driven ideological echo chambers, influencing conservative discourse via print amid declining trust in Silicon Valley platforms. Their non-profit model sustains highbrow criticism, indirectly shaping policy debates on free speech and education that intersect with tech regulation.[3]
Roger Kimball's leadership will likely expand digital presence—building on *The New Criterion*'s online dispatches and Encounter's catalog—while navigating platform deplatforming risks.[1][3][6] Rising cultural polarization and AI-driven content moderation trends could boost demand for their unapologetic conservatism, potentially growing through podcasts, events, or partnerships with aligned outlets. Their influence may evolve from niche criticism to broader defenses of Enlightenment values against tech-fueled collectivism, reinforcing the "marketplace of ideas" in a fragmented media age.[3] This ties back to their origins: reviving Cold War-era boldness for today's battles.
