Victor S. Navasky is the renowned editor, writer, and teacher who has been at the helm of The Nation for almost thirty years. A Matter of Opinion, a scintillating reflection on his journalistic experiences, is also an extraordinary political document — a spirited, provocative argument for independent journals of opinion as vital to the health of democracy.

Whether at the satirical magazine Monocle (which he founded when he was in law school), or at the New York Times, or finally at The Nation, Navasky's commitment to political engagement and to the social and intellectual values of independent cultural activity has always been front and center. In a wonderfully entertaining narrative, he tells of his innovative efforts to find money to keep The Nation afloat and to keep its pages lively, honest, and relevant, and he embellishes it with unforgettable stories — about his colleagues and opponents, from E. L. Doctorow to Bill Buckley; his heroes, from I. F. Stone to Jürgen Habermas; and his precedessors, from Daniel Defoe to Carey McWilliams.

Navasky's accomplishments have been legion, despite the threats of revenue-driven multinational media corporations, and despite the sometimes ugly, sometimes hilarious problems that fearless muckrakers face in any culture. A Matter of Opinion is a passionately written, irresistibly charming account of a great journalistic tradition.

"As the mordant maxim byword at the offices of a certain left-wing weekly has it, 'If it's bad for the country, it's good for The Nation' (the magazine's circulation has risen 71% since the 2000 election of George Bush). Of course, an alternative theory might emphasize Navasky's sure-handed stewardship of the country's 'oldest weekly magazine' over the last 25 years. After editing a prominent 1960s satirical magazine (the Monocle) and working at the New York Times Magazine, Navasky, with his combination of bedrock principle and a light touch, was a perfect fit at the Nation. Unmistakably confined to professional doings (family members are hardly mentioned), this memoir recounts myriad tempests in teapots (and some not so trifling), lawsuits, donnybrooks, controversies and lines drawn in the sand. If the New Republic is where liberals address Washington, the Nation is where liberals talk among themselves. Navasky discusses many of his lively charges and colleagues (Trillin, Ephron, Hitchens, Sontag), and relates his thinking behind some of his most important decisions as an editor. Too fragmented to substitute for a history of the left over the past few decades, Navasky's story is finally about the nuts and bolts of editing an intellectual journal, interesting enough in its own right. Agent, Amanda Urban. (May)" Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

"[E]legant...a combination memoir, intellectual history, and how-to guide for would-be magazine publishers....[L]ively and always surprising. A pleasure for general readers, and a blessing for students of the independent media and contemporary letters." Kirkus Reviews

"This has got to be the kinkiest love story of our time — a man in love with a magazine and the two of them in love with a nation. What a menage! Untamed passion, big money, adult language, breakups, rapprochements, and a wonderful assortment of eccentric supporting characters — it's all here in Navasky's brave confession. But let the reader be warned: this bizarre love story, though such wicked fun to read, puts our deepest moral values on display." E. L. Doctorow, author of Ragtime

"Victor Navasky is that most valuable of journalists: the subversive patriot, who loves his country too much to see it become a plaything for plutocrats, scalawags, and scoundrels; who loves justice too much to see it betrayed by false prophets; and who loves his craft too much to see it as anything but a calling. I cherish this account of his adventures for reminding us why the journalism of opinion is the heart and soul of democracy — as long as the last opinion is never assumed to be the right one." Bill Moyers, author of Moyers on America and former host of Now with Bill Moyers

"If Victor Navasky had his modest way, he would have you believe this is a book about American magazines and their vital role in the conversations of a democracy. It is much more. This wry, anecdote-filled page-turner also reveals why Navasky is an editor whom journalists would kill to work for if he weren't so cheap. He's curious. He listens. He laughs. He makes mistakes and sometimes admits them. He is as generous as he is smart. A Matter of Opinion is a vivid account of our times and, in its modest way, reveals his own important role in them." Ken Auletta, author of Backstory: Inside the Business of News

"The political landscape may be at its most bleak, yet there appears in all its rubble a piece of greenery — a hip, muckraking journal, The Nation, singularly triumphant. (Its readership is greater than ever.) What makes A Matter of Opinion so delightful is the teller of the tale. Vic Navasky, The Nation's publisher, is not only a journalist in the tradition of Lincoln Steffens, George Seldes, and I.F. Stone but a natural born storyteller. His wonderful book rushes on like a house afire. And it's funny, too." Studs Terkel

"Let there be no doubt: Victor Navasky is a force for our time. So is this book — going from The Nation to a compelling comment on the current scene. It is a book for true enjoyment and enlightenment." John Kenneth Galbraith, author of The Affluent Society

"Victor Navasky brings a rare blend of idealism and clear-minded realism to his engrossing book, and his literary style is masterful. I love and admire his examination of and prescriptions for the most vital issues of our age." George McGovern

Standing at the helm of "The Nation" for almost 30 years, Navasky delivers a scintillating reflection on his journalistic experiences and offers a spirited, provocative argument for independent journals of opinion as vital to the health of democracy.

Victor S. Navasky, publisher and editorial director of The Nation and Delacorte Professor of Journalism at Columbia University, is the author of Kennedy Justice and Naming Names, which won the National Book Award in 1982. He lives in New York City.