Times interviewer, Emily Stokes, wrote in 2013 that Silvers viewed editing as "an instinct. You must choose writers carefully, having read all of their work, rather than being swayed by 'reputations that are, shall we say, overpromoted', and then anticipate their needs, sending them books and news articles" while seeking greater clarity, comprehensiveness and freshness in the writing. Stokes commented that Silvers "radiates a genial warmth [but told her that] it is part of the editor's role ... not to be swayed by friendships with authors but to let reviewers express their genuine views." Silvers described some of the diplomatic aspects of the job: "The act of reviewing can have a deep emotional effect. People get hurt and upset. You have to be aware of that, but you can't flinch. [You must also reject reviews] sometimes. You say, 'No, I'm terribly sorry, I can't visualise that in the paper. I don't think it's adequate to the subject.'" James Atlas wrote of a typical day for Silvers: "In the late afternoon, he'd rush out to a lecture at the Council on Foreign Relations, show up at a dinner party, and then head back to the office to deal with the next breaking crisis." Timothy Noah wrote: "Silvers edited three successive galleys for every piece, sharpening the argument, requesting additional evidence, removing pompous jargon and infelicitous phrases." His New York Times obituary noted: "Silvers brought to [the Review] a self-effacing, almost priestly sense of devotion. ... [He was] loath to grant interviews. ... He arrived at the office early and left late, if at all, to the kind of heavyweight cocktail party that was, for him, a happy hunting ground for writers and ideas." Legacy At the time of his death, Silvers left the Review with a circulation of more than 130,000, its book publishing operations, and a reputation as "the country’s best and most influential literary journal. ... It's hard to imagine that Hardwick ... would complain today that book reviewing is too polite." The 50 Year Argument, a 2014 documentary film about the Review, co-directed by Martin Scorsese, is "'[a]nchored by the old-world charm' of its editor, Robert Silvers". In 2019, Silvers' estate created the Robert B. Silvers Foundation to support writers of in-depth political, social, economic, and scientific commentary, long-form arts and literary criticism, and intellectual essays. Daniel Mendelsohn is the foundation's director, and Rea Hederman is its president.