Eric Russell Bentley (September 14, 1916 â€" August 5, 2020) was a
British-born American theater critic, playwright, singer, editor, and
translator. In 1998, he was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of
Fame. He was also a member of the New York Theater Hall of Fame,
recognizing his many years of cabaret performances.Bentley was born in
Bolton, Lancashire, the son of Laura Evelyn and Fred Bentley. Bentley
attended Oxford University, receiving his degree in 1938. He
subsequently attended Yale University (B. Litt. in 1939 and PhD in
1941), where he received the John Addison Porter Prize. Bentley taught
History and Drama during the 1942 summer session at Black Mountain
College, as well as from 1943â€"1944.Beginning in 1953, he taught at
Columbia University and was a theatre critic for The New Republic. He
became known for his blunt style of theatre criticism, and was
threatened with lawsuits from both Tennessee Williams and Arthur
Miller for his unfavorable reviews of their work. From 1960â€"1961,
Bentley was the Charles Eliot Norton Professor at Harvard
University.Bentley was one of the preeminent experts on Bertolt
Brecht, whom he met at the University of California, Los Angeles as a
young man and whose work he translated extensively. He edited the
Grove Press issue of Brecht's work, and recorded two albums of
Brecht's songs for Folkways Records, most of which had never before
been recorded in English.
British-born American theater critic, playwright, singer, editor, and
translator. In 1998, he was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of
Fame. He was also a member of the New York Theater Hall of Fame,
recognizing his many years of cabaret performances.Bentley was born in
Bolton, Lancashire, the son of Laura Evelyn and Fred Bentley. Bentley
attended Oxford University, receiving his degree in 1938. He
subsequently attended Yale University (B. Litt. in 1939 and PhD in
1941), where he received the John Addison Porter Prize. Bentley taught
History and Drama during the 1942 summer session at Black Mountain
College, as well as from 1943â€"1944.Beginning in 1953, he taught at
Columbia University and was a theatre critic for The New Republic. He
became known for his blunt style of theatre criticism, and was
threatened with lawsuits from both Tennessee Williams and Arthur
Miller for his unfavorable reviews of their work. From 1960â€"1961,
Bentley was the Charles Eliot Norton Professor at Harvard
University.Bentley was one of the preeminent experts on Bertolt
Brecht, whom he met at the University of California, Los Angeles as a
young man and whose work he translated extensively. He edited the
Grove Press issue of Brecht's work, and recorded two albums of
Brecht's songs for Folkways Records, most of which had never before
been recorded in English.
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