Thomas Quinn Curtiss
Thomas Quinn Curtiss (born June 21, 1915 in New York City , New York , † July 17, 2000 in Poissy , France ) was an American film and theater critic . He was the long-time partner of the German writer Klaus Mann .
The son of Roy A. Curtiss and Ethel Quinn grew up in New York City. In the early 1930s he went to Europe to study film and theater in Vienna and Moscow ; Among other things, he was a student of Sergei Eisenstein during his time in Moscow .
In the summer of 1937 he met the German writer Klaus Mann in Budapest and accompanied him on his travels through Europe. The relationship lasted for several years, but was ended by "Tomski" (as the name was given in the writer's diaries) because of Klaus Mann's persistent opiate addiction . The German writer's novella, the latticed window (about the suicide of Ludwig II ), is dedicated to his American partner.
At the outbreak of World War II Curtiss joined the 7th New York Regiment of the US Army . In 1944 he was stationed in Europe at the headquarters of the Allied Forces ( SHAEF ), and later with the 8th Air Force , where he brought the secret film library of the German Air Force into the possession of the Allies. For this achievement he was awarded the Legion of Honor by General Charles de Gaulle .
After the war, Curtiss began his career as a film and theater critic. From Paris, among others , he reported on the international film and theater scene for the most prestigious international English-language newspapers such as the New York Herald Tribune , the New York Times , the renowned cultural magazine Variety , but above all for the International Herald Tribune .
He is the author of several books, including a biography of Erich von Stroheim, whom he has admired since his youth . He wrote the screenplay for the screen adaptation of Eugene O'Neill's play The Ice Man Comes , entitled The Iceman Cometh .
Fonts
- (Ed.): The Magic Mirror. Selected Writings On The Theater. Knopf, New York 1960.
- From Stroheim. Vintage, New York 1973, ISBN 0-394-71898-4 .
- The Smart Set: George Jean Nathan and HL Mencken. Applause, New York 1998, ISBN 1-55783-312-5 .
Web links
- Obituary of Thomas Quinn Curtiss in the International Herald Tribune (English)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Quinn Curtiss, Thomas |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American film and theater critic |
| DATE OF BIRTH | June 21, 1915 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | New York City |
| DATE OF DEATH | July 17, 2000 |
| Place of death | Poissy , France |