//from the editors//
Fall 2021
Fall 2021
From the Editor
Dear Reader,
It’s my tremendous pleasure to be writing for the first time as Editor-in-Chief of The Current. In an uncharacteristic fashion, I will keep this letter brief. In a far more characteristic fashion, I will begin with an anecdote.
In my sophomore year of high school, I became engrossed by literature. Reading my peers’ essays on novels and poems inspired me to start a modest literary journal to publish their work. I named it The Critical Eye, a play on 20th century, Jewish American author Bernard Malamud’s famous quote, “a writer is a spectator, looking at everything with a highly critical eye.” At the time, what most stood out to me was the writer’s critical eye. A writer looks intently at the subject text. Except, what I sorely missed is that Malamud does not limit the writer’s subject as such. A writer looks at everything, Malamud tells us. For those familiar with Columbia’s famous (or, for some, infamous) University Writing seminar, its curriculum tells us much the same: an author’s “exhibit” need not be a poem or novel––it can be a movie or painting; a current event or, if you’re feeling edgy, a contemporary meme. On the other hand, each writer examines his subject with a unique perspective––his own eye.
When I joined the staff of The Current last year, what excited me about it is how energetically it embraces this approach to thoughtful writing. Our journal provides space for critical writing about everything from the arts to current affairs at Columbia and in the Jewish world. Equally importantly, our authors (whether they are Jewish or not) are encouraged to creatively approach these myriad topics from a Jewish perspective––which Malamud may assure us is a critical one, but feel free to disagree. I’m excited for my tenure as The Current’s Editor-in-Chief, and I hope you will share in my excitement as we dive into the world of critical analysis––no matter the form or subject––together. In this edition, you will find a slate of original poems by Shai Goldman (CC ‘24), an essay by Ali Winter (CC ‘24) grappling with the Classics and Judaism, and other thoughtful work.
The Current staff and I hope that you enjoy the diverse, vibrant content that we have curated for you this term: deeply Jewish analysis about, well, everything.
Daniel Meadvin, Editor-in-Chief
Image: The False Mirror, Rene Magritte (1929)
It’s my tremendous pleasure to be writing for the first time as Editor-in-Chief of The Current. In an uncharacteristic fashion, I will keep this letter brief. In a far more characteristic fashion, I will begin with an anecdote.
In my sophomore year of high school, I became engrossed by literature. Reading my peers’ essays on novels and poems inspired me to start a modest literary journal to publish their work. I named it The Critical Eye, a play on 20th century, Jewish American author Bernard Malamud’s famous quote, “a writer is a spectator, looking at everything with a highly critical eye.” At the time, what most stood out to me was the writer’s critical eye. A writer looks intently at the subject text. Except, what I sorely missed is that Malamud does not limit the writer’s subject as such. A writer looks at everything, Malamud tells us. For those familiar with Columbia’s famous (or, for some, infamous) University Writing seminar, its curriculum tells us much the same: an author’s “exhibit” need not be a poem or novel––it can be a movie or painting; a current event or, if you’re feeling edgy, a contemporary meme. On the other hand, each writer examines his subject with a unique perspective––his own eye.
When I joined the staff of The Current last year, what excited me about it is how energetically it embraces this approach to thoughtful writing. Our journal provides space for critical writing about everything from the arts to current affairs at Columbia and in the Jewish world. Equally importantly, our authors (whether they are Jewish or not) are encouraged to creatively approach these myriad topics from a Jewish perspective––which Malamud may assure us is a critical one, but feel free to disagree. I’m excited for my tenure as The Current’s Editor-in-Chief, and I hope you will share in my excitement as we dive into the world of critical analysis––no matter the form or subject––together. In this edition, you will find a slate of original poems by Shai Goldman (CC ‘24), an essay by Ali Winter (CC ‘24) grappling with the Classics and Judaism, and other thoughtful work.
The Current staff and I hope that you enjoy the diverse, vibrant content that we have curated for you this term: deeply Jewish analysis about, well, everything.
Daniel Meadvin, Editor-in-Chief
Image: The False Mirror, Rene Magritte (1929)