Voting Station

Leon Wieseltier

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Philosopher

The Resume

    (June 14, 1952- )
    Born in Brooklyn, New York
    Literary editor at The New Republic (1983-2014)
    Wrote 'Kaddish' and 'Against Identity'
    Acted on The Sopranos (Episode: 'All Happy Families...')
    Contributing editor and critic at The Atlantic magazine (2014-October 27, 2017)

Why he might be annoying:

    He advocated for the Iraq War.
    His last name is an easy one to mangle.
    He looks like Bernie Sanders with a Phil Spector fro.
    He sparred with Cornel West after calling West’s books 'almost completely worthless.'
    After he accused Andrew Sullivan of being 'a Jew-baiter,' Sullivan responded: 'Wieseltier is a connoisseur and cultivator of personal hatred.'
    He was fired from the Atlantic magazine following multiple allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct (2017).
    The allegations and subsequent firing resulted in plans for a new literary tech magazine under his direction getting scrapped after his investors backed out.

Why he might not be annoying:

    His parents were Holocaust survivors.
    He speaks fluent Hebrew and has translated many works of Israeli poetry to English.
    He almost single-handedly raised the stature of The New Republic's literary section, going from regular 'book reviews' to thought-provoking essays on culture and society.
    'Kaddish' was a National Book Award finalist in 2000, and a National Jewish Book Award winner in the Nonfiction category in 1998.
    He was the recipient of the Dan David Prize in 2013 for being 'a foremost writer and thinker who confronts and engages with the central issues of our times, setting the standard for serious cultural discussion in the United States.'
    He served as Senior Fellow in Culture and Policy at the Brooking Institute until 2017.

Credit: BoyWiththeGreenHair


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 7 Votes: 28.57% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 56 Votes: 53.57% Annoying