New York City's immensity, diversity, and drive have long been a magnet for American artists. Literary historian Shaun O'Connell brings this legacy to life in Unspeakable New York. Analyzing the work of more than one hundred New York writers, O'Connell shows how established members of the literary pantheon (Henry James, Edith Wharton, Walt Whitman, James Baldwin, Dorothy Parker, Saul Bellow), contemporary writers (Bret Easton Ellis, Oscar Hijuelos, E.L. Doctorow, Lynne Sharon Schwartz), and some surprising names from the past (Horatio Alger, Jacob Riis) have responded to the City's unique demands and opportunities. Remarkable, Unspeakable New York draws on works of fiction, drama, memoir, poetry, and travel writing to build a new understanding of New York's place in the American imagination.