George Jean Nathan

George Jean Nathan ( born February 14, 1882 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, † April 8, 1958 in New York) was an American theater critic, writer and editor.

Life

Youth

Originally Nathan was taught by tutors at home. When his father left the family, his mother took him to Cleveland, Ohio, where he went to high school. Nathan studied at Cornell University, where he was a master swordsman and the Student Union Quill and Dagger belonged. He also gave the college newspaper Sun out and Widow, a humor magazine of the University. After graduation Nathan began as a reporter for the New York Herald to work that kept free his uncle for him.

Later life

Unhappy with the everyday work as a reporter, he left the newspaper publisher and began to write for different magazines. As a result, he gained his reputation as a theater critic. In 1908, he wrote reviews for The Smart Set and met HL Mencken. Both became friends and took over in 1914 jointly the editor. In 1924 she published the magazine The American Mercury. Nathan was also a founder and editor of the American Spectator ( 1932-1935 ).

Through his numerous reviews about the Broadway shows he earned in the scene hatred and contempt. Nevertheless, he was able to Eugene O'Neill and Sean O'Casey, as he promoted their reputation, build a good relationship.

Nathan became over time the image of a woman hero. So he led relationships with numerous actresses. His most famous was the. With actress Lillian Gish, which it, however, probably because of his Jewish origin, left In 1955 he married the much younger Julie Haydon.

Nathan died in 1958 at the age of 76 years in New York.

George Jean Nathan Award

The George Jean Nathan Award is a prize of theater criticism and was founded by its namesake.

Works

Nathan wrote over 40 books. Almost all are collections of his reviews. Some of the most important:

• The Critic and the Drama, 1922 ( ISBN 0-8386-7964-1 )
• The Autobiography of an Attitude 1925
• The Intimate Notebooks of George Jean Nathan, 1932