The Most-Read Classics of 2023

Stories from decades past that continued to capture the imagination. View in browser | Update your preferences “What’s past is prologue,” Shakespeare once wrote, and the statement remained as true in 2023 as it was four centuries ago. As the year draws to a close, we’ve assembled the stories from the New Yorker archive that most captivated readers over the past twelve months, as measured by total time spent reading. A mix of fiction and history, true crime and science, these pieces continue to provide insight, intrigue, and escape. We wish you rewarding reading, and a peaceful final few days of a very eventful year. From the Archive Fiction The Lottery From 1948: “The people had done it so many times that they only half listened to the directions; most of them were quiet, wetting their lips, not looking around.” By Shirley Jackson The Justice File The Killer Who Got Into Harvard From 1995: A teen honors student was admitted to the freshman class. Then the university learned new details about the death of her mother. By Jane Mayer A Reporter at Large Hiroshima From 1946: A hundred thousand people were killed by the atomic bomb. Survivors wonder why they lived when so many others died. By John Hersey A Reporter at Large Conversations with a Killer From 1994: John Wayne Gacy murdered thirty-three boys and became America’s most notorious killer. In the weeks before his scheduled execution, he was far from reconciled to his fate. By Alec Wilkinson A Reporter at Large Anatomy of a Murder Trial From 2010: Iphigenia in Forest Hills. By Janet Malcolm A Reporter at Large The Real Heroes Are Dead From 2002: A Vietnam veteran helped save hundreds of lives on September 11th, before he was swallowed by the South Tower collapse. By James B. Stewart Fiction Brokeback Mountain From 1997: “They never talked about the sex, let it happen, at first only in the tent at night, then in the full daylight.” By Annie Proulx Fiction What Is Remembered From 2001: A brief affair and its lifelong repercussions. By Alice Munro Annals of Crime The Chameleon From 2008: The many lives of Frédéric Bourdin. By David Grann Annals of Evolution Sleeping with the Enemy From 2011: What happened between the Neanderthals and us? By Elizabeth Kolbert Thanks for reading. Let us know your thoughts about today’s edition. Plus, browse more newsletters and invite a friend to sign up for the New Yorker Classics newsletter. You’re receiving this e-mail because you signed up for the New Yorker Classics newsletter. Manage your preferences | View our Privacy Policy | Unsubscribe The New Yorker may earn a portion of sales from the products and services that are purchased through links in our newsletters as part of our affiliate partnerships with retailers. Copyright © Condé Nast 2023. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.