Biography

Personal life

Shawn was born into a prominent Jewish family in New York City, where he continues to reside. He is the son of William Shawn, longtime editor of The New Yorker, and journalist Cecille Shawn (née Lyon); his brother Allen is a composer. Shawn attended The Putney School, a private liberal arts high school in Putney, Vermont, and graduated with a B.A. in history from Harvard University. He studied economics and philosophy at Oxford, originally intending to become a diplomat; he also traveled to India as an English teacher, on a Fulbright program. Since 1979, he has made a...

"Full of what you might call conversation starters: tricky propositions about morality... politics, privilege, runaway nationalist fantasies, collective guilt, and art as a force for change (or not)... It's a treat to hear him speak his curious mind."--O The Oprah Magazine

"Wallace Shawn's essays are both powerful and riveting. How rare to encounter someone willing to tanong the assumptions of class and the disparity of wealth that grows wider every taon in this country. To have such a gentle and incisive soul willing to say what others may be afraid to is considerably refreshing."--Michael...