The New York Times announced today the appointment of Chandler Burr as its first columnist to review and rate fragrances. Mr. Burr, a longtime magazine writer and the author of "The Emperor of Scent: A True Story of Perfume and Obsession" (Random House, 2003), will have his first column - called Scent Strip - published in the fall issue of T: Women's Fashion on August 27, which will feature actor Catherine Keener on its cover.
Scent Strip will appear frequently in issues of T: The New York Times Style Magazine. In the column, Mr. Burr will review and rate new and classic perfumes as well as other scents such as perfumed candles. He will ascribe a four-star rating system to each perfume, similar to those awarded by The Times to restaurants, ranging from no stars for a poor or satisfactory perfume to four stars for an extraordinary scent.
"The creation of fragrance is one of the highest art forms crafted for the senses, the equal of painting for sight and music for hearing," said Mr. Burr, "and this column is about treating perfume as the art that it is. Every other true art has a serious criticism. I believe perfume should as well, for the benefit, and I hope enjoyment, of the Times reader and the industry expert both. Perfume is an aesthetically rich and complex product, one both deeply anchored in history and more commercially important than ever. My opinion is, of course, just my opinion; given The Times's weight, I take this responsibility quite seriously. I intend to treat this position with the greatest respect, and I'm delighted to serve as The Times's perfume critic."
"I am extremely excited about the launch of Chandler's column in T," said Stefano Tonchi, style editor of The New York Times Sunday Magazine and T. "The Times will be the first to cover the fragrance industry and perfume in the way it does movies, books and theater."
Mr. Burr's many definitive works on scent highlight his expertise in the subject. He has written articles on perfume for The Times, V Magazine, Food & Wine and The New Yorker. Mr. Burr's book was short-listed for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and he is currently working on a book about the Hermes fragrance Un Jardin sur le Nil, based on his behind-the-scenes account for The New Yorker.
