{"product_id":"the-ritz-of-the-bayou","title":"The Ritz of the Bayou \/\/ The New Orleans Adventures of a Young Novelist Covering the Trials of the Governor of Louisiana, with Digressions on Smoldering Nightclubs, Jazz-Crazed Bars, and Other Aspects of Life in the Tropic Zone","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIn this \"unjustly neglected\" masterpiece, Nancy Lemann gives an atmospheric account of the New Orleans trial of the Governor of Louisiana for racketeering, fraud, and bribery. This 40th anniversary edition features a new introduction by critic James Wolcott and an afterword by the author.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNew Orleans-born novelist Nancy Lemann returned to her hometown from Manhattan in 1985, tasked by renowned editor Tina Brown to cover Governor Edwin Edwards's two corruption trials for\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eVanity Fair\u003c\/em\u003e. The work that emerged from this trip was less a straightforward account of the court proceedings and instead a masterful portrait of the politicians, their families, the lawyers, and the other reporters covering the trials, rendered in sparse, wry vignettes. Championed and edited by Gordon Lish,\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Ritz of the Bayou\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eis Lemann's sole book of nonfiction and has attained lost classic status in the decades it has languished out of print.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn hazy, atmospheric scenes of cigar smoke-laden bars, heaping plates of oysters, and unchecked eccentricity and chaos, Lemann observes both the proceedings and a glamorous Gulf Coast gone shabby from humidity and time. She captures New Orleans's particular \"tropic zone,\" where \"the two great enemies of Louisianians are boredom and lack of style,\" and its citizens choose charismatic leaders over ethical ones, writing, \"Politics is not the place to look for saints.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAn account of government corruption and Southern character that transcends its moment,\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Ritz of the Bayou\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eis Lemann at the height of her powers. This edition reestablishes a classic of Southern literature, rewarding its longtime fans and introducing her talent to a new generation of readers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNancy Lemann\u003c\/strong\u003e is the author of Lives of the Saints, The Ritz of the Bayou, Sportsman's Paradise, The Fiery Pantheon, Malaise, and forthcoming from NYRB: The Oyster Diaries. She written for the Paris Review, Harper's, the Oxford American, Lapham's Quarterly, and more. She lives in Washington, DC.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJames Wolcott \u003c\/strong\u003eis a journalist and author. He first gained national prominence as a columnist for The Village Voice in the the 1970s and later became Vanity Fair's cultural critic, while also contributing to The New Yorker. He is the author of several books, including the memoir Lucking Out and Critical Mass, a collection of essays and reviews. Wolcott lives in New York with his wife, the dance and art critic Laura Jacobs.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePublisher: Hub City Press\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePublish Date: April 07, 2026\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePages: 184\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLanguage: English\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eType: Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEAN\/UPC: 9798885740708\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDimensions: 8.6 X 5.5 X 0.7 inches | 0.8 pounds\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBISAC Categories: Politics, History, Literary Fiction, History, Biography \u0026amp; Memoir\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Nancy Lemann","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":49353559965931,"sku":"9798885740708","price":18.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0253\/4014\/9820\/files\/9798885740708.jpg?v=1788645936","url":"https:\/\/rep.club\/products\/the-ritz-of-the-bayou","provider":"Reparations Club","version":"1.0","type":"link"}