Arthur Krystal (born December 12, 1947, in Stockholm, Sweden) is an American essayist, editor, and screenwriter living in New York City.
After working at a series of jobs, he became a part-time editor at Basic Books in New York City.
[1] Krystal has written for publications including The American Scholar, Harper's Magazine, The New Yorker, The New York Times Book Review, The Times Literary Supplement, The Wall Street Journal, The Chronicle of Higher Education, The Washington Post Book World, New York Newsday, The Village Voice, The New Criterion, the Los Angeles Review of Books, Sports Illustrated, Art & Antiques, the Encyclopædia Britannica, and Collier's Encyclopedia.
Many of Krystal's essays have stirred up controversy for their insistence that intellectual work not be limited or defined by sociopolitical concerns when executed in good faith.
[1][4] Krystal co-wrote the HBO film Thick as Thieves (1999) and wrote the documentary Secrets of the Code (2006).