New York City epitomizes modernity. Its skyscrapers and neon nightlife,
together with its inner-city ghettoes, symbolize all the excitements and
tribulations of contemporary urban living. But the city's powerful
contemporary presence is also built upon a dramatic history. Settled by
Dutch traders, seized at gunpoint by an English fleet, its development
into a mega-city reveals a story as astounding as any in American
history. Home to generations of migrants, an international center of
finance and fashion, New York is a world city both entrepreneurial and
self-promoting. Eric Homberger explores the rich contribution New York
has made to American history and culture. Birthplace of Herman Melville,
Henry James, and Joseph Heller and adopted home of poets, playwrights,
artists, and radicals from every continent, the city has been relentless
in overturning cultural conventions. From jazz to hip-hop, from art deco
to modernism, New York has always been at the forefront of innovation. -
City of power and ambition: Wall Street and the heart of US capitalism;
the UN and global politics; Ellis Island and the eternal migrant
dream. - City of drama, art, and music: Broadway; Tin Pan Alley and the
bright lights; museums and art collections; orchestras, opera, and the
power of popular culture. - City of writers and visionaries: émigré
intellectuals and dissidents; novelists and poets; chroniclers of urban
life and voices of the dispossessed.
