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Atkinson, (Justin) Brooks
Atkinson, [Justin] Brooks (1894–1984), critic. Born in Melrose, Massachusetts, and educated at Harvard, he taught briefly at Dartmouth, then entered the newspaper world as a reporter for the Springfield (Massachusetts) Daily News. In 1919 Atkinson joined the Boston Evening Transcript as an assistant drama critic but soon moved to the New York Times, where he became its drama critic in 1924, a post he held, except for a stint as a war correspondent (1941–46), until 1960. As such he became the best known and most important of New York's reviewers. His writing was gracious and gentlemanly, and his views generally tolerant, except for a strong prejudice against older musicals after the advent of Oklahoma! and the “musical play.” He also wrote several excellent books on the theatre, including Broadway Scrapbook (1947), Broadway (1970), and The Lively Years: 1920–1973 (1974). Typical of his style was the opening of his review of a 1952 revival of Summer and Smoke: “Nothing has happened for quite a long time as admirable as the new production at the Circle in the Square—in Sheridan Square, to be precise. Tennessee Williams' Summer and Smoke opened there last evening in a sensitive, highly personal performance. When it was put on at the Music Box in 1948 it looked a little detached, perhaps because the production was too intricate or because the theatre was too large.” In 1961 the Mansfield Theatre was renamed the Brooks Atkinson Theatre, the first Broadway house to be named after a theatre critic.
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Gerald Bordman and Thomas S. Hischak. "Atkinson, (Justin) Brooks." The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. Gerald Bordman and Thomas S. Hischak. "Atkinson, (Justin) Brooks." The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O149-AtkinsonJustinBrooks.html Gerald Bordman and Thomas S. Hischak. "Atkinson, (Justin) Brooks." The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. 2004. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O149-AtkinsonJustinBrooks.html |
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Brooks Atkinson
Brooks Atkinson (Justin Brooks Atkinson), 1894–1984, American journalist, b. Melrose, Mass. After being an editor for the New York Times he became its drama critic in 1925. Except for his service as a foreign correspondent during World War II, he held the position as critic until 1960. His critical opinion had much influence on the success or failure of Broadway plays. Atkinson's books include Henry Thoreau, the Cosmic Yankee (1927), Broadway Scrapbook (1947), and Broadway (1970). An ardent naturalist and conservationist, he wrote This Bright Land: A Personal View (1972). |
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Cite this article
"Brooks Atkinson." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Brooks Atkinson." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-AtkinsonB.html "Brooks Atkinson." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-AtkinsonB.html |
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Atkinson, (Justin) Brooks
Atkinson, [Justin] Brooks (1894–1984), drama critic (1925–60) and critic at large for The New York Times, except during World War II when he was a war and news correspondent, winning a Pulitzer Prize for journalism about China. His books include Henry Thoreau: The Cosmic Yankee (1927); East of the Hudson (1931), sketches of bucolic life; Once Around the Sun (1951), essays; Tuesdays and Fridays (1963) and Brief Chronicles (1966), from his columns in The New York Times; and Sean O'Casey (1982).
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James D. Hart and and Phillip W. Leininger. "Atkinson, (Justin) Brooks." The Oxford Companion to American Literature. 1995. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. James D. Hart and and Phillip W. Leininger. "Atkinson, (Justin) Brooks." The Oxford Companion to American Literature. 1995. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O123-AtkinsonJustinBrooks.html James D. Hart and and Phillip W. Leininger. "Atkinson, (Justin) Brooks." The Oxford Companion to American Literature. 1995. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O123-AtkinsonJustinBrooks.html |
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Atkinson, (Justin) Brooks
Atkinson, (Justin) Brooks (1894–1984), American dramatic critic. From 1926 to 1960 (except during the war years) he was dramatic critic of the New York Times—an unrivalled tenure. His literate, scrupulously honest, and acute writing won a tremendous following. He had great influence: his approval guaranteed a respectable run for a play irrespective of the opinion of other critics. On his retirement the Mansfield Theatre in New York was renamed the Brooks Atkinson in his honour.
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Cite this article
PHYLLIS HARTNOLL and PETER FOUND. "Atkinson, (Justin) Brooks." The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. PHYLLIS HARTNOLL and PETER FOUND. "Atkinson, (Justin) Brooks." The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O79-AtkinsonJustinBrooks.html PHYLLIS HARTNOLL and PETER FOUND. "Atkinson, (Justin) Brooks." The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre. 1996. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O79-AtkinsonJustinBrooks.html |
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