Nik Cohn
© Sophie Bassouls
Nik Cohn grew up among the sectarian tribes of Derry, Northern Ireland as it lurched towards The Troubles. In 1960s London, he wrote a series of novels and non-fiction books including “the first best book on rock and roll” (Greil Marcus). In 1970s New York, Cohn wrote the magazine story that formed the basis for Saturday Night Fever. He’s also had a longtime connection to New Orleans, where in the early 2000s, he was an incongruous bounce impresario. As his work is summarized in Ben Ratliff’s foreword to Corner Boy: “His writing on any subject is for anyone who believes that the best option is usually off the menu, who suspects that membership may be a trap, that reputations are often misleading . . . he makes the impossible possible.” He lives in the Hudson Valley.