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Atlantic Unbound | Archive
Cullen Murphy
Murphy served as The Atlantic Monthly's managing editor from 1985 until 2005, when the magazine relocated to Washington. He has written frequently for the magazine on a great variety of subjects, from religion to language to social science to such out-of-the-way matters as ventriloquism and his mother's method for pre-packaging lunches for her seven school-aged children. Murphy's book Rubbish! (1992), which he co-authored with William Rathje, grew out of an article that was written by Rathje, edited by Murphy, and published in the December, 1989, issue of The Atlantic Monthly. In a feature about the book's success The New York Times reported that the article "was nominated for a National Magazine Award in 1990 and became a runaway hit for The Atlantic Monthly, which eventually ran off 150,000 copies of it." Murphy's second book, Just Curious, a collection of his essays that first appeared in The Atlantic Monthly and Harper's, was published in 1995. His most recent book, The Word According to Eve: Women and The Bible in Ancient Times and Our Own, was published in 1998 by Houghton Mifflin. The book grew out of Murphy's August 1993 Atlantic cover story, "Women and the Bible." Murphy was born in New Rochelle, New York, and grew up in Greenwich, Connecticut. He was educated at Catholic schools in Greenwich and in Dublin, Ireland, and at Amherst College, from which he graduated with honors in medieval history in 1974. Murphy's first magazine job was in the paste-up department of Change, a magazine devoted to higher education. He became an editor of The Wilson Quarterly in 1977. Since the mid-1970s Murphy has written the comic strip Prince Valiant, which appears in some 350 newspapers around the world. Recent articles by Cullen Murphy: The Travel AdvisoryHighlights of a “Fall of Rome Tour”. The Road from RavennaIn the footsteps of the last Roman emperor. Empire's EndA hike along Hadrian's Wall—and through the mists of time. The George W. Bush Presidential LibraryAn unauthorized preview, with never-before -seen drawings of the interior. Fatwa CityBehavior modification gets down to business. Feeling Entitled?Huey Long's aspiration—"Every man a king!"—is at last within our grasp. People to PeopleSome say that liberals and conservatives need to build bridges of understanding. Drawbridges might be better. Knock It OffThe art of the unreal. Let Someone Else Do ItThe impulse behind everything. Never MindOld science doesn't die ... Witless ProtectionCoping with the sixteenth minute. Wonders Never CeaseUpdating Philon of Byzantium's famous list. Fat TargetIt's starting to look like 1536 all over again. Primary ConsiderationsIf the first presidential primary were held in the "most representative" state, which one would that be? The Next TestamentIf the Bible were being compiled for the first time right now, what would we put in it? Making the case for a NEW New Revised Standard Version. Looking for TroubleGet a life—at your own risk. Setting The BarWhen our standards don't live up to our standards. The Path of BrighteousnessGodless Americans launch a semantic crusade. Feudal GesturesWhy the Middle Ages are something we can still look forward to. On Second ThoughtIdeas whose time has come, unfortunately. Moving On, and OnFrom the Transition Index to the Rapture Index. Beyond BeliefGoing once, going twice—sold to the man with the pointed tail. Need to KnowUpdating an elementary lexicon. Back to Square OneMy own private Groundhog Day The Rogues of AcademeMaking dictators an offer they can't refuse. My WayGetting in touch with your inner Turkmenbashi. The Utmost MeasuresA word in behalf of subjectivity. Circuit BreakersHow the example of Wall Street and the Fed could help save the press from itself. From Soup to NutsThe categorical imperative. The Great In-BetweenTheologians have revised our notions of heaven and hell. But one other destination deserves attention. Delete, Baby, DeleteWe're not quite as good at destruction as we think we are. Fast-Free LivingWhat Americans would do if they were serious about stopping to smell the flowers. Third-Class CitizenWhose lifestyle is it anyway? LifosuctionEven on a résumé, less can be more. The Gold StandardThe quest for the Holy Grail of equivalence. Walking Back the CatThe culture of explanation. The ScrapbookAn accidental encounter with two briefly famous lives. Out of the Ordinary"Mundane studies" comes of age. Tales of the AlhambraThe lost Islamic world of Southern Spain—and its modern echoes. Customized QuarantineChild-free zones and other innovations in exclusionary living. Second OpinionsHistory winds up in the waiting room. Who's in Charge?People talk about a lack of leadership—but leadership seems to be everywhere. Thy Will Be DoneBlind studies and unanswered prayers. Fine PointsIs accuracy overrated? Common StockKnowing something about everything versus everything about something. In Praise of SnowWatching it, understanding it, forecasting it, predicting how much water is in it—all this is a surprisingly large and intricate undertaking, one on which our society urgently depends. Prince Valiant’s EnglandKing Arthur never had it this good. Who Do Men Say That I Am?The study of Jesus has been an extraordinarily active enterprise in recent decades. Though rooted in the past, it is among the least antiquarian of historical or theological pursuits. Ms. Buxley?General Halftrack's secretary isn't quite the girl she used to be. |
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Says Cullen Murphy, "At The Atlantic we try to
provide a considered look at all aspects of our national life; to write, as
well, about matters that are not strictly American; to emphasize the big story
that lurks, untold, behind the smaller ones that do get told; and to share the
conclusions of our writers with people who count."