REVIEWS AND CRITICISM
Honors commentary on the arts as well as reviews of products and services

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WINNER
The New Yorker
David Remnick, Editor
Edited by Namara Smith
Three articles by Parul Sehgal: “Divorce Story,” August 12, “The Mystery of Pain,” September 16, and “Origin Story,” October 21

From her devastatingly sharp critique of Sarah Manguso’s novel “Liars” to her exquisite close reading of Garth Greenwell’s novel “Small Rain,” Parul Sehgal’s work epitomizes the power of a great critic, cutting through layers of sloppy thinking and illuminating what makes the best writing so powerful. Sehgal’s own writing stands out for its precision, its rigor and the seriousness with which it takes language, alongside a rare lightness of touch and her willingness to take risks on the page.

FINALISTS

Aperture
Michael Famighetti, Editor in Chief
“For So Many Years When I Close My Eyes,” by Ken Chen, Spring

Defector
Tom Ley, Editor in Chief
Edited by David Roth
“The Judgment of Magneto,” by Asher Elbein, April 24

Harper's Magazine
Christopher Carroll, Editor
“Lady Day of the Alhambra,” by Ian Penman, March

New York
David Haskell, Editor in Chief
Edited Gazelle Emami and Joy Shan
Two articles by Andrea Long Chu: “Freedom of Sex,” March 11 at nymag.com, and “A Lover’s Theory of Marxism,” September 20 at vulture.com

The New York Times Magazine
Jake Silverstein, Editor in Chief
Edited by Sasha Weiss
Two articles by Wesley Morris: “Forget the Academy. Our Nominees Are . . . ,” February 18, and “Mr. Manners,” April 7

The Yale Review
Meghan O’Rourke, Editor
Edited by Sam Huber
“The Polycrisis,” by Brandy Jensen, April 24 at yalereview.org