Eric Bentley
Eric Bentley was a prominent British-American playwright, critic, and scholar, known for his significant contributions to theater and drama. Born on September 14, 1916, in Bolton, England, he demonstrated early talent in drama during his education at Bolton School and later at Oxford University. Bentley pursued further studies at Yale University, where he earned a PhD in comparative literature. His career spanned teaching, directing, and writing, with a focus on translating works by renowned playwrights like Bertolt Brecht and Luigi Pirandello. As a critic, Bentley was known for his incisive reviews and influential writings, including studies on George Bernard Shaw and Brecht. He was an advocate for theater's relevance to society, often challenging the notion of drama as mere propaganda. Bentley's legacy in the theater world is marked by numerous awards, including the Robert Chesley Award in 2007 for LGBT playwrights, and he was honored with memberships in the New York Theater Hall of Fame and the American Theatre Hall of Fame. His unique perspective and polemical edge have left a lasting impact on 20th-century drama.
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Eric Bentley
Critic
- Born: September 14, 1916
- Birthplace: Bolton, Lancashire, England
- Died: August 5, 2020
- Place of death: New York City, New York
Biography
Eric Bentley was born on September 14, 1916, in Bolton, Lancashire, England. He attended the Bolton School on a scholarship and was active in drama. In 1935 he went on to Oxford University, again on scholarship; while at Oxford, he acted under John Gielgud and Esme Church. He graduated in 1938 and came to America to study at Yale University, where he earned a PhD in comparative literature in 1941. His dissertation, published in 1944, dealt with the cult of hero worship in modern literature. Eric Bentley was twice married and had twin sons with his second wife. In the 1960s, he came out as a gay man. After working at Yale, Eric Bentley held a series of academic appointments, directed plays, and gave lectures. In 1948, he became a citizen of the United States but later left the country to return to Europe, where he directed plays for three years while on the first of his two Guggenheim Fellowships. On his return to the United States in 1951, he continued to teach, direct, and write. He served as the drama critic for the New Republic between 1952 and 1956, published influential books on the theater, brought out collections of drama, and translated many plays—especially those of Luigi Pirandello and Bertolt Brecht, whose work he also directed in major productions. He also wrote plays of his own. His work was often tinged with a polemical edge, particularly in Are You Now or Have You Ever Been (1972), The Recantation of Galileo Galilei (1972), and Lord Alfred’s Lover (1978).
Eric Bentley’s main contribution to drama and the theater has been his work as a thoughtful and thought-provoking critic. His major works of criticism include studies of George Bernard Shaw (1947) and Bertolt Brecht (1981 and 1986) as well as the more general studies The Playwright as Thinker (1946), In Search of Theatre (1953), and The Life of the Drama (1964). Eric Bentley did not confuse popularity with artistic success, either in his own plays or in his criticism. Although his play reviews did include appreciative as well as critical comments about works of Tennessee Williams and Arthur Miller, his negative judgments seemed to these two authors so harsh that they seriously considered suing him. Bentley admired William Shakespeare, George Bernard Shaw, Henrik Ibsen, and Bertolt Brecht for their artistic integration of thought and emotion to create moral meaning.
Eric Bentley rejected overly theoretical approaches to the theater (such as that taken by Bertolt Brecht), but he also he valued theatrical effectiveness in practice (such as that shown in Brecht’s great plays). He rejected drama as mere propaganda, and did not want Lord Alfred’s Lover (about Oscar Wilde), for example, to be seen as only a gay play, but he did believe that the drama should be relevant to the society on which it rests and to which it is directed. Eric Bentley’s influence on the theater of the twentieth century has been recognized by many grants, awards, and honorary degrees, and Bentley was made a member of the New York Theater Hall of Fame and the American Theatre Hall of Fame. In 2007 he won the Robert Chesley Award, an annual literary award for LGBT playwrights.
Bibliography
Bentley, Eric. In Search of Theater: Travels in England, Ireland, France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Italy and the United States. New York: Applause, 1953. Print.
Bentley, Eric. The Life of the Drama. New York: Applause, 1964. Print.
Bentley, Eric. "The Thinker as Critic." Interview by Rob Weinert-Kendt. American Theatre. Theatre Communications Group, 3 Feb. 2016. Web. 12 Apr. 2016.
Bentley, Eric. What Is Theatre?: Incorporating the Dramatic Event and Other Reviews, 1944-1967. New York: Farrar, 1968. Print.
Coleman, Bud. "Bentley, Eric (b. 1916)." GLBTQ Archives. Chicago: glbtq, 2006. PDF file.
Kalb, Jonathan. "A Critic Has Praise for a Playwright (Himself)." New York Times. New York Times, 12 Nov. 2006. Web. 12 Apr. 2016.