Daphne Merkin

Daphne Merkin is a cultural critic who has made a name for herself with her often-unnerving candor and elegantly High/Low reflections on issues of family, religion, psychotherapy and sex.  She was a staff writer for The New Yorker for five years, where she wrote a movie column, book reviews and articles about subjects as varying as Marilyn Monroe, Freud, and Bridget Jones.  She is currently a contributing writer for The New York Times Magazine, where she writes profiles and personal essays as well as on topics like the search for the perfect perfume and her obsession with handbags for the Times “T” sections; her work appears regularly in Slate and Elle and in a variety of other publications, including Vogue, Travel & Leisure and Allure. Ms. Merkin is the author of two books: an autobiographical novel, Enchantment, which won the Edward Lewis Wallant award in 1986 for the best new work of fiction based on a Jewish theme, and Dreaming of Hitler, a collection of essays.  She lives in New York City with her daughter.