Since the great John Leonard died, the “New Books” column in Harper’s—two eclectically curated pages on, usually, four new books a month—has been written by Benjamin Moser, who’ll soon be relinquishing the gig to focus on writer fewer, longer pieces (particularly on the visual arts). In a pretty sweet coup for the magazine, your new New Books columnist is…
Zadie Smith, perpetually buzzed-about zeitgeist novelist and international literary woman of glamor.
She’s also, one hastens to note, a hell of a well-read and astute critic of words and ideas, dig.