Brooks Atkinson

Brooks Atkinson

Justin Brooks Atkinson (born November 28, 1894 in Melrose , Massachusetts , † January 14, 1984 in Huntsville , Alabama ) was an American theater critic for the New York Times between 1925 and 1960. Since the "first-line critics" in Manhattan were considerable Had an influence on the success of the plays and he represented one of the largest daily newspapers, he could become one of the most influential theater critics at all. Atkinson was the first president of the New York Drama Critics 'Circle , founded in 1935 , which presents the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award every year .

Atkinson studied at Harvard University until 1917 and then worked for various newspapers. In 1922 he became a literary critic and in 1925 a theater critic for the New York Times. In this role, he judged Broadway theater productions.

After the attack on Pearl Harbor , he went to China as a correspondent for the New York Times at his own request , from where he commented on the US Pacific War with Japan. He was then sent to Moscow as a correspondent . For this work he received the Pulitzer Prize in 1947 . Until 1960 he worked again in New York as a theater critic. In 1962 he received the Tony Award for it .

He promoted the playwrights Eugene O'Neill and Seán O'Casey , among others, and played a key role in upgrading the off-Broadway scene. In 1960 he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences .

In 1960 the Mansfield Theater on Broadway (47th Street) was named after Brooks Atkinson.

Works (selection)

• Henry Thoreau , the Cosmic Yankee , 1927
• East of the Hudson , 1931
• The Cingalese Prince , 1938
• Broadway Scrapbook , 1947
• Once around the Sun , 1951
• Typed Letter Signed , 1962
• This Bright Land: A Personal View , 1972

Web links

• The Brooks Atkinson Papers 1904-1980 in the New York Public Library