High Notes

Selected Writings by Gay Talese, Introduction by Lee Gutkind

Admired by generations of reporters, Gay Talese has for more than six decades enriched American journalism with an unmatched ability to inhabit the worlds of his subjects. From the long-form Esquire articles that germinated into his masterful books―including Honor Thy Father and Thy Neighbor’s Wife―to indelible portraits like the canonical “Frank Sinatra Has a Cold” and the recent, revealing account of avant-pop star Lady Gaga’s studio session with the old-school crooner Tony Bennett, the pieces collected in High Notes are classics of the journalistic style Talese pioneered―“the art of hanging out,” as he called it. It is a bold testament to his enduring talent for unparalleled cultural observation and impeccable literary craftsmanship.