I think Nicholson Baker is a brilliant contemporary essayist and I would recommend checking out his collection, The Size of Thoughts. Janet Malcolm is almost always worth reading, particularly for the way she layers a journalistically grounded argument with pinpoint observations and prose-poetic flourishes that enhance rather than diminish clarity. Jon Ronson’s essays are so deceptively relaxed and conversationally pitched that it feels like anyone could “write like that,” except, of course, they can’t. The critic James Wood has some great moments, and I would recommend reading his wonderful essay on Keith Moon’s genius. If you want to learn from the greats, consult Orwell, Chesterton, Didion, maybe Christopher Hitchens in small doses.
I think Nicholson Baker is a brilliant contemporary essayist and I would recommend checking out his collection, The Size of Thoughts. Janet Malcolm is almost always worth reading, particularly for the way she layers a journalistically grounded argument with pinpoint observations and prose-poetic flourishes that enhance rather than diminish clarity. Jon Ronson’s essays are so deceptively relaxed and conversationally pitched that it feels like anyone could “write like that,” except, of course, they can’t. The critic James Wood has some great moments, and I would recommend reading his wonderful essay on Keith Moon’s genius. If you want to learn from the greats, consult Orwell, Chesterton, Didion, maybe Christopher Hitchens in small doses.