George jean nathan biography definition dictionary

George Jean Nathan

American drama critic and magazine editor (–)

George Jean Nathan

Nathan in

Born()February 14,

Fort Wayne, Indiana, U.S.

DiedApril 8, () (aged&#;76)

New York City, U.S.

Occupations
  • Drama critic
  • magazine editor

George Jean Nathan (February 14, &#; April 8, ) was an American dramacritic and magazine editor.

He worked closely with H. L. Mencken, bringing the literary magazine The Smart Set to prominence as an editor, and co-founding and editing The American Mercury and The American Spectator.

Early life and education

Nathan was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, on February 14, , the son of Ella (Nirdlinger) and Charles Naret Nathan.[1] He graduated from Cornell University in There, he was a member of the Quill and Dagger society and an editor of The Cornell Daily Sun.

George jean nathan biography definition George Jean Nathan February 14, — April 8, was an American drama critic and magazine editor. He worked closely with H. There is some evidence that Nathan was Jewish and sought successfully to conceal it. Nathan had a reputation as a "ladies' man" and was not averse to dating women working in the theater. The character of Addison De Witt, the waspish theater critic who squires a starlet played by a then-unknown Marilyn Monroe in the film All About Eve was based on Nathan.

There is some evidence that Nathan was Jewish and sought (successfully) to conceal it.[2]

Relationships and marriage

Nathan had a reputation as a "ladies' man" and was not averse to dating women working in the theater. The character of Addison De Witt, the waspish theater critic who squires a starlet (played by a then-unknown Marilyn Monroe) in the film All About Eve was based on Nathan.[3] He had a romantic relationship with actress Lillian Gish, beginning in the late s and lasting almost a decade.

Gish repeatedly refused his proposals of marriage.[4]

Nathan eventually married a considerably younger stage actress, Julie Haydon, in

Death

Nathan died in New York City in , aged

Legacy

He wrote only one play, the one-act titled The Eternal Mystery, which premiered in at the Princess Theatre in New York.[5]Owen Hatteras referenced the play as a failure when he quipped that Nathan "has forbidden the production of the play henceforth in any American city save Chicago, in which city anyone who chooses may perform it without payment of royalties."[6]

Walter Winchell opened his column once in with a reference to Nathan as "a tough critic."[7] The George Jean Nathan Award, an honor in dramatic criticism, is named after him.

Nathan was also inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame.[8]

Papers

Nathan bequeathed his letters and papers to Cornell University. Among his papers were several letters he received from Eugene O'Neill.[9]

Secondary Sources

  • Isaac Goldberg: George Jean Nathan: A Critical Study (Girard, Kansas, Haldeman-Julius Company [c]).
  • Seymour Rudin: George Jean Nathan: A Study of His Criticism ([Ithaca, N.Y.] ).
  • Thomas F.

    Connolly: George Jean Nathan and the Making of Modern American Drama Criticism (Madison: Faileigh Dickinson University Press, c).

References

  1. ^"George Jean Nathan &#; ". .
  2. ^Benjamin Ivry "The Jewish Backstory behind 'All about Eve'", in: The Forward, July 15,
  3. ^Green, Martin (February ), "Nathan, George Jean (), drama critic and editor", American National Biography Online, Oxford University Press, retrieved
  4. ^Albin Krebs, "Lillian Gish, 99, a Movie Star Since Movies Began, is Dead", The New York Times, March 1,
  5. ^"The Eternal Mystery".

    George jean nathan biography definition us history Early life Nathan was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He graduated from Cornell University in , where he was a member of the Quill and Dagger society. Drama critic career Noted for the erudition and cynicism of his reviews, Nathan was an early champion of Eugene O'Neill. Together with H. He was also a founder and an editor —35 of the " American Spectator ", and after he wrote a syndicated column for the " New York Journal-American ".

    Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved 10 February

  6. ^Hatteras, Owen (). "George Jean Nathan". Menckeniana. : 3–
  7. ^Winchell, Walter (April 3, ). "On Broadway".

    George jean nathan quotes George Jean Nathan was the leading American drama critic of his time. Active from to , he zealously practiced what he called "destructive" theater criticism. Nathan wrote during the most important period of U. He grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, where he graduated from that city's high school. On his mother's side, the German Nirdlingers, there were rugged pioneers who literally crossed the country in a covered wagon from Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, to settle Fort Wayne.

    The Daily Mirror. p.&#;

  8. ^"Theater Hall of Fame members". Retrieved February 9,
  9. ^James Milton Highsmith: The Cornell Letters, # Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections, Cornell University Library.

External links