A Timely Reminder

Jonathan Karp, who left his job as editor-in-chief of Random House to launch his own imprint and stage his first play, likes to quote Bernard Malamud who, when asked for the key to good writing, is said to have answered: story, story, story. “I’ve taken that to heart in everything I do,” Karp says. “Whether I’m editing a book or writing a musical, I really care that the story be told in the best possible way.”