The WFB Legacy — Language, Culture & the Arts

When William F. Buckley Jr. founded National Review in 1955, it was not just to be a magazine of politics or a conservative opinion journal, but a vehicle for cultural renewal and change. The “back of the magazine”—the “Books, Arts, and Manners” section—was originally taken up by Buckley’s Yale mentor and an original editor at the magazine, Willmoore Kendall. In 1957, it was taken over by Frank Meyer, the ex-Trotskyite who had been a contributor at The Freeman and The American Mercury before joining National Review in 1955.

Under Meyer’s leadership until his death in 1972, the books section showcased a bevy of talented young writers —the drama critic Garry Wills, Joan Didion, John Leonard, and Arlene Croce —as well as notable literary critics Hugh Kenner and Gary Davenport, and noteworthy novelists including John Dos Passos.

About the Author

National Review Institute

National Review Institute was founded by William F. Buckley Jr. as a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) charitable organization in 1991.

When William F. Buckley Jr. founded National Review in 1955, it was not just to be a magazine of politics or a conservative opinion journal, but a vehicle for cultural renewal and change. The “back of the magazine”—the “Books, Arts, and Manners” section—was originally taken up by Buckley’s Yale mentor and an original editor at the magazine, Willmoore Kendall. In 1957, it was taken over by Frank Meyer, the ex-Trotskyite who had been a contributor at The Freeman and The American Mercury before joining National Review in 1955.

Under Meyer’s leadership until his death in 1972, the books section showcased a bevy of talented young writers —the drama critic Garry Wills, Joan Didion, John Leonard, and Arlene Croce —as well as notable literary critics Hugh Kenner and Gary Davenport, and noteworthy novelists including John Dos Passos.