Eric Russell Bentley (September 14, 1916 – August 5, 2020) was a British-born American theater critic,

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes play (theatre), plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between Character (arts), characters and is intended for Theatre, theatrical performance rather than just Readin ...

, 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.

Biography

Bentley was born in Bolton, Lancashire, the son of Laura Evelyn and Fred Bentley. Bentley attended

University College, Oxford University College, formally The Master and Fellows of the College of the Great Hall of the University commonly called University College in the University of Oxford and colloquially referred to as "Univ", is a Colleges of the University of Oxf ...

, where his tutors were

J. R. R. Tolkien John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (, 3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English writer and philologist. He was the author of the high fantasy works ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings''. From 1925 to 1945, Tolkien was the Rawlinson ...

and

C. S. Lewis Clive Staples Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963) was a British writer, literary scholar and Anglican lay theologian. He held academic positions in English literature at both Magdalen College, Oxford (1925–1954), and Magdalen ...

; he received his degree in English in 1938. He subsequently attended

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

( B. Litt. in 1939 and

PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

in 1941), where he received the

John Addison Porter John Addison Porter (March 15, 1822 – August 25, 1866) was an American professor of chemistry and physician. He is the namesake of the John Addison Porter Prize and was a founder of the Scroll and Key senior society of Yale University. Acad ...

Prize. Bentley taught History and Drama during the 1942 summer session at

Black Mountain College Black Mountain College was a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Black Mountain, North Carolina. It was founded in 1933 by John Andrew Rice, Theodore Dreier, and several others. The coll ...

, as well as from 1943 to 1944. Beginning in 1953, he taught at

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

and was a theatre critic for ''

The New Republic ''The New Republic'' (often abbreviated as ''TNR'') is an American magazine focused on domestic politics, news, culture, and the arts from a left-wing perspective. It publishes ten print magazines a year and a daily online platform. ''The New Y ...

''. He became known for his blunt style of theatre criticism, and was threatened with lawsuits from both

Tennessee Williams Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), known by his pen name Tennessee Williams, was an American playwright and screenwriter. Along with contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the three ...

and

Arthur Miller Arthur Asher Miller (October 17, 1915 – February 10, 2005) was an American playwright, essayist and screenwriter in the 20th-century American theater. Among his most popular plays are '' All My Sons'' (1947), '' Death of a Salesman'' (1 ...

for his unfavorable reviews of their work. From 1960 to 1961, Bentley was the

Charles Eliot Norton Charles Eliot Norton (November 16, 1827 – October 21, 1908) was an American author, social critic, and Harvard professor of art based in New England. He was a progressive social reformer and a liberal activist whom many of his contemporaries c ...

Professor at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

. Bentley was one of the preeminent experts on

Bertolt Brecht Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known as Bertolt Brecht and Bert Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a p ...

, whom he met at the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school the ...

as a young man and whose work he translated extensively. He edited the

Grove Press Grove Press is an American publishing imprint that was founded in 1947. Imprints include: Black Cat, Evergreen, Venus Library, and Zebra. Barney Rosset purchased the company in 1951 and turned it into an alternative book press in the United S ...

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. In 1968, he signed the

Writers and Editors War Tax Protest Tax resistance, the practice of refusing to pay taxes that are considered unjust, has probably existed ever since rulers began imposing taxes on their subjects. It has been suggested that tax resistance played a significant role in the collapse o ...

pledge, vowing to refuse

tax payment A tax is a mandatory financial charge or levy imposed on an individual or legal entity by a governmental organization to support government spending and public expenditures collectively or to regulate and reduce negative externalities. Tax co ...

s in protest against the Vietnam War. His play ''The Red, White, and Black'' was produced at La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club in 1971 in collaboration with the

Columbia University School of the Arts The Columbia University School of the Arts (also known as School of the Arts or SoA) is the fine arts graduate school of Columbia University in Morningside Heights, New York (state), New York. It offers Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degrees in Film, ...

Theatre Division. Beginning in 1975, Andrei Serban directed multiple productions of Bentley's translation of Brecht's '' Good Woman of Setzuan'' at La MaMa, with music by Elizabeth Swados. The 1975 production was followed by a production in 1976 and another production in 1978. The Great Jones Repertory Company also took the show on tour to Europe in 1976. Bentley was elected a Fellow of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Academy) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and other ...

in 1969. That same year, he made his

homosexuality Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or Human sexual activity, sexual behavior between people of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexu ...

public. In an interview in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' on November 12, 2006, he said he was married twice before coming out at age 53, at which time he left his position as the

Brander Matthews James Brander Matthews (February 21, 1852 – March 31, 1929) was an American academic, writer and literary critic. He was the first full-time professor of dramatic literature at Columbia University in New York and played a significant role in est ...

Professor of Dramatic Literature at Columbia to concentrate on his writing. He cited his homosexuality as an influence on his theater work, especially his play ''Lord Alfred's Lover'', based on the life of

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish author, poet, and playwright. After writing in different literary styles throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular and influential playwright ...

. He won an

Obie Award The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards given since 1956 by ''The Village Voice'' newspaper to theater artists and groups involved in off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway productions in New York City. Starting just after th ...

for Lifetime Achievement in Theatre from the

American Theatre Wing The American Theatre Wing (the Wing for short) is a New York City–based non-profit organization "dedicated to supporting excellence and education in theatre", according to its mission statement. Originally known as the Stage Women's War Relief ...

in 2006 and a Robert Chesley Award in 2007. Bentley became an American citizen in 1948 and had been living in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

for many years at the time of his death. He turned 100 on September 14, 2016. Bentley died at his home in Manhattan on August 5, 2020, at the age of 103.

Selected works

He wrote numerous books of theatre criticism. In addition, he edited ''The Importance of Scrutiny'' (1964), a collection from '' Scrutiny: A Quarterly Review'', and ''Thirty Years of Treason: Excerpts from Hearings Before the House Committee on Un-American Activities, 1938–1968'' (1971). His most-produced play, ''Are You Now Or Have You Ever Been: The Investigations of Show-Business by the Un-American Activities Committee 1947–1958'' (1972), was based on the transcripts from the

House Un-American Activities Committee The House Committee on Un-American Activities (HCUA), popularly the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), was an investigative United States Congressional committee, committee of the United States House of Representatives, created in 19 ...

collected in ''Thirty Years of Treason''.

Books (theatre criticism)

* 1944: ''A Century of Hero Worship'' * 1946: ''The Playwright As Thinker'' * 1947: ''Bernard Shaw'' * 1948: ''The Modern Theatre'' * 1953: ''In Search of Theater'' * 1956: ''What Is Theatre?'' * 1964: ''The Life of the Drama'' * 1971: ''Thirty Years of Treason'' * 1972: ''Theater of War'' * 1981: ''Brecht Commentaries'' * 1987: ''Thinking About The Playwright''

Plays

*1967: ''A Time To Live & A Time To Die'' (published by Broadway Play Publishing Inc.) *1972: ''Are You Now Or Have You Ever Been: The Investigations of Show-Business by the Un-American Activities Committee 1947–1958'' *1979: ''Lord Alfred's Lover'' (collected in ''Monstrous Martyrdoms'', 1985) *1979: ''Wannsee, a Tragi-Comedy'' (published in The Massachusetts Review Vol. 20, No. 3) *1985: ''H for Hamlet'' *''German Requiem'' (collected in ''Monstrous Martyrdoms'', 1985) *''Round One'' (published by Broadway Play Publishing Inc.) *''Round Two'' (published by Broadway Play Publishing Inc.) *"The Sternheim Trilogy" containing ''The Underpants'', ''The Snob'', & ''1913'' (published by Broadway Play Publishing Inc.)

Discography

The following are recordings done by Bentley for Folkways Records. *1961: "

before the Committee on Un-American Activities: An Historical Encounter" *1963: "'' A Man's A Man'' by

" *1964: "Songs of

Hanns Eisler Hanns Eisler (6 July 1898 – 6 September 1962) was a German-Austrian composer. He is best known for composing the national anthem of East Germany, for his long artistic association with Bertolt Brecht, and for the scores he wrote for films. The ...

" *1965: "Bentley on Brecht: Songs and Poems of

" *1965: "Bertolt Brecht's ''

The Exception and the Rule ''The Exception and the Rule'' ( German: ''Die Ausnahme und die Regel'') is a short play by German playwright Bertolt Brecht and is one of several ''Lehrstücke'' (Teaching plays) he wrote around 1929/30. The objective of Brecht's Lehrstücke ...

''" *1968: "'' The Elephant Calf'' and Small Comments on Large Themes" *1968: "Bentley on Biermann: Songs and Poems of Wolf Biermann" *1970: "Eric Bentley Sings The Queen of 42nd Street"

References

External links

"Columbia fetes American theater legend Eric Bentley"Bentley discography on Folkways RecordsEric Bentley singing "Ballad on the Poet François Villon"Bentley's page on La MaMa Archives Digital Collections
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bentley, Eric 1916 births 2020 deaths 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century English dramatists and playwrights 20th-century English male writers 20th-century English non-fiction writers American men centenarians American male dramatists and playwrights American male non-fiction writers American tax resisters American theater critics American LGBTQ dramatists and playwrights American gay writers Black Mountain College faculty Columbia University faculty English emigrants to the United States English male dramatists and playwrights English male non-fiction writers English tax resisters English LGBTQ dramatists and playwrights English gay writers British theatre critics Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Gay academics Gay dramatists and playwrights Harvard University faculty Members of the American Academy of Arts and Letters British men centenarians Writers from Bolton Writers from New York City Yale University alumni Alumni of University College, Oxford