Ben Naparstek Says “Don’t Think Of Me As Doogie, I’m A Grown Up!”

New editor of The Monthly Ben Naparstek is tired of people telling him he’s a boy genius, which makes me feel a little bad about flinging Doogie Howser gags in his direction. No wait, I’m okay with it.

The Age has done a nice little piece on him, and it’s compulsory reading for folks who are thoroughly gripped by tales of overachieving youths.

Ben Naparstek was writing book reviews for The Canberra Times when he was 15, blitzed through a law and arts degree (with honours) at the University of Melbourne in 3½ years, and, at 23, has just been appointed editor of The Monthly magazine.

But please don’t burden him with the “boy genius” tag.

“I’m old enough to be well used to people telling me I’m young,” he says.

Touche! Also, good line.

“I’ve been an adult for, what is it, five years now, so all this stuff about ‘boy genius’, it’s very flattering but it’s just not true. I’m 23. How much longer is this going to continue?”

Until you develop a respectable amount of chest hair, young man. Just kidding!

For someone so, dare I say it, young, Naparstek is well-connected. His referees for The Monthly editorship included English literary critic James Wood, American author and critic Daniel Mendelsohn and English professor Jacqueline Rose, on whom he has just finished co-editing a reader. By email, Rose says of him: “Ben is a quite unique young man — with intellectual and journalistic abilities combined in a way I have rarely seen … the idea that someone like him could have secured such a post is for me immensely reassuring.”

Australian author Elliot Perlman, who was interviewed by a 17-year-old Naparstek, says: “I met him a little cautiously and frankly he is brilliant, he is a veritable wunderkind. He seemed to be one of these ‘watch this space’ young people. You didn’t know what was going to happen to him but you knew that in the absence of disaster something quite terrific could.”

Naparstek has also interviewed American philosopher Noam Chomsky, Mexican writer Carlos Fuentes and Japanese author Haruki Murakami.

Instead of gently teasing Doogie, I should be applauding The Monthly for being gutsy enough to employ someone suitable for the job despite the fact they celebrated their 21st not too long ago.

Quietly spoken, self-assured and exceptionally well-read, Naparstek squirms ever so slightly when asked questions he’d rather not answer, responding with a sphinx-like smile and fixing you with his crystal blue eyes. He doesn’t want to divulge too much about his vision for The Monthly yet, saying only: “I’d like to let my editorship speak for itself.”

Yes, let’s wait and see what Ben delivers as editor before we judge his abilities.

On a different note, “sphinx-like smile”? “Crystal blue eyes”? Good lord, The Age. Is this fine specimen of youth single? I smell a nomination for Cleo Bachelor Of The Year in 2010.

MORE: Ben who?

Sorry about making fun of your age, Ben Naparstek.