Poetry News

Lorin Stein's Misconduct at The Paris Review Results in His Resignation

Originally Published: December 07, 2017

Lorin Stein resigned from his editorship of the Paris Review yesterday, after complaints from female employees—and an appearance on the recently circulated "Shitty Men in Media" list—instigated an internal investigation into his behavior with colleagues and contributors to the famous journal. Stein sent a letter to the board of directors yesterday, acknowledging the wrongdoing. At the New York Times, Alexandra Alter and Sydney Ember report:

Earlier Wednesday, Mr. Stein had sent an email to the board expressing his remorse and suggesting any missteps would not happen again.

He acknowledged dating and expressing interest in women with whom he had professional connections, including interns and writers for the magazine, conduct that he acknowledged was “an abuse of my position.” He told the board that he had occasionally engaged in sexual behavior in the office after hours, but said that in all instances, the sexual contact was consensual and had happened when he was single. Mr. Stein got married in 2015.

Still, he said he knew some of his behavior had made his colleagues feel uncomfortable. “The way I behaved was hurtful, degrading and infuriating to a degree that I have only begun to understand this past month,” he wrote.

Mr. Stein’s resignation will likely roil the literary world, where he is a widely respected figure, regarded by many as a champion of new talent, including some women writers, and celebrated as an editor whose critical eye has helped define and shape the landscape of contemporary American fiction.

More at the NYT.