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Max Gissen (1909 – November 14, 1984) was an American journalist known for book reviews in the magazine Time.

Background

Max Gissen was born in Kyiv, then the Russian Empire (today, Ukraine) and came with his family to the United States. He grew up in Brattleboro, Vermont. He attended Clark University.

Career

Gissen reviewed books in the magazine The New Republic under Edmund Wilson. During World War II, he served in the US Army as an infantry captain in Europe. In 1946, he joined Time, where he interacted with Whittaker Chambers, T.S. Matthews, and publisher and co-founder Henry Luce. Initially, he wrote the Press section; in 1947, he took over book reviews. He also started the Time Reading Program, a book series. While at Time, he wrote cover stories on Louis Armstrong and John P. Marquand, the latter of which won public praise from publisher Henry Luce. Gissen retired in 1967.

Personal life and death

Gissen married Louise; they had a son and daughter. Gissen died at age 75 on November 14, 1984, at his home in Weston, Connecticut.

Awards

• 1 Silver Star
• 4 Bronze Stars
• 5 Battle Stars

References

1. ^ "Max Gissen, Book Editor". Detroit Free Press. Detroit, MI. November 16, 1984. p. 45. Retrieved March 17, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
2. ^ "Reminiscences of Max Gissen : oral history, 1963". Columbia University. 1963. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
3. ^ "Max Gissen, Ex-Books EditorAt Time Magazine Dies at 75". New York Times. 15 November 1984. p. B16. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
4. ^ "Letter from the Publisher, Mar. 7, 1949". Time. 7 March 1949. Retrieved 13 January 2021.

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• 1909 births
• 1985 deaths
• Clark University alumni
• American male journalists
• 20th-century American journalists
• American literary critics
• United States Army personnel of World War II
• People from Brattleboro, Vermont
• 20th-century American male writers
• 20th-century American non-fiction writers
• 20th-century American educators
• Time (magazine) people
• United States Army officers
• Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the United States
• American journalist, 1900s birth stubs