Eric Bentley (1916–2020)
Author of The Theory of the Modern Stage: An Introduction to Modern Theatre and Drama
About the Author
Eric Bentley is the Brander Matthews Professor of Dramatic Literature, Emeritus, at Columbia University.
Image credit: Michael Amsler
Series
Works by Eric Bentley
The Theory of the Modern Stage: An Introduction to Modern Theatre and Drama (1968) 181 copies, 2 reviews
Thirty Years of Treason: Excerpts from Hearings Before the House Committee on Un-American Activities, 1938-1968 (1971) — Editor — 86 copies, 1 review
"Life Is a Dream" and Other Spanish Classics (Eric Bentley's Dramatic Repertoire Volume Two) (1985) 84 copies, 1 review
The Servant of Two Masters & Other Italian Classics (Paperback) (Eric Bentley's Dramatic Repertoire) (2000) 64 copies
The Misanthrope and Other French Classics (Eric Bentley's Dramatic Repertoire ; V. 3) (2000) 45 copies
The recantation of Galileo Galilei;: Scenes from history perhaps (Harper colophon books/CN) (1972) 13 copies
The Great Playwrights: Twenty-Five Plays with Commentaries by Critics and Scholars (Vol. 1 & 2) (1970) 11 copies
The Modern Theatre: A Six Volume Set 2 copies
Thirty Years of Treason, Volume 3: Excerpts from Hearings Before the House Committee on Un-American Activities, 1953… (2014) 2 copies
The cult of the superman; a study of the idea of heroism in Carlyle and Nietzsche, with notes on other hero-worshippers… (1969) 2 copies
The Play. a Critical Anthology 2 copies
O Teatro Engajado 1 copy
The Fall of the Amazons 1 copy
The Harmfulness of Tobacco 1 copy
Riverside Bentley on Brecht 1 copy
Associated Works
The Good Woman of Setzuan / The Caucasian Chalk Circle (1965) — Translator, some editions — 361 copies, 1 review
Works in Progress Number 4: Selections from the Best in Books to be Published in Coming Months (1971) — Contributor — 7 copies
Barry Humphries' Weimar Cabaret [programme] — Translator — 1 copy
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- Bentley, Eric Russell
- Birthdate
- 1916-09-14
- Date of death
- 2020-08-05
- Gender
- male
- Nationality
- UK (birth)
USA (naturalized 1948) - Birthplace
- Bolton, Lancashire, England, UK
- Place of death
- Manhattan, New York, USA
- Cause of death
- natural causes
- Places of residence
- New York, New York, USA
- Education
- Yale University (B.Litt | 1939 | PhD | 1941 - Comparative Literature)
University of Oxford (BA|1938|University College)
Bolton School - Occupations
- theatre critic
playwright
translator
editor
professor
singer - Relationships
- Brecht, Bertolt (colleague)
- Organizations
- American Academy of Arts and Letters
Columbia University
The New Republic
Black Mountain College
University of California, Los Angeles
University of Minnesota (show all 8)
State University of New York, Buffalo
University of Maryland - Awards and honors
- Publishing Triangle (Robert Chesley Award for Lesbian and Gay Playwriting ∙ 2007)
American Academy of Arts and Letters Academy Award (Literature ∙ 1953)
American Theatre Hall of Fame (1998)
Fellow, American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1969)
New York Theater Hall of Fame
Obie Award for Lifetime Achievement (2006) (show all 7)
Robert Chesley Award (2007) - Short biography
- Eric Bentley is best known as a theater critic and for his many years of close collaboration with Bertolt Brecht, whom he met as a young man and whose work he translated into English. He has also edited publications of Brecht's work and made two albums of Brecht songs, some of which appeared in English for the first time.
Members
Reviews
The Theory of the Modern Stage: An Introduction to… by Eric Bentley
Hhmm.. Welp, my copy is a hardback from 1972 - but this edition is close enuf. This has writings by Antonin Artaud, Bertold Brecht, & E. Gordon Craig - amongst many others - but these 3 are probably enuf to get across the idea of why I'm giving it a high rating. Craig, if I remember correctly, proposed a theater of all sets, lighting & motion - W/O actors. Now, I skimming thru his section of this bk & I see no reference to that & I don't know if Craig actually ever realized those ideas or even if I'm confused about the whole business. Nonetheless, it's largely b/c of my association of Craig w/ such things that I give this bk the rating I do. At any rate, this is probably the largest concentration of theater theory that I've ever read & it's important to me for that alone. I've gone thru the "plays" section of my library - picking out the ones I've read to list here on GoodReads. It's interesting to see the collection of plays that I have & to then see how few of them I've read. It reminds me that I don't like reading plays much. &, as w/ all my attempts to scratch the surface of what I've read, it makes me want to read MORE, MORE!… (more)
Around four stars if you are not interested in opera. I'm not, yet consistently entertaining writing and trenchant criticism add a star, for anyone who enjoys those. Except:
Around three stars if you are not interested in classical music. Except:
Around two stars if you are interested in no music. Go away.
The first fifth is criticism of music criticism.
Around three stars if you are not interested in classical music. Except:
Around two stars if you are interested in no music. Go away.
The first fifth is criticism of music criticism.
Vol. 3 includes: Fernando de Rojas, Celestina; Lope de Vega, Fuente Ovejuna; Tirso de Molina, The Trickster of Seville; Calderón de la Barca, Life is a dream and Love after death; Miguel de Cervantes, The Siege of Numantia.
Vol. 1 includes: Machiavelli, The Mandrake; Beoleo, Ruzzante returns from the wars; Anonymous, The Three Cuckolds; Goldoni, The Servant of two masters; Goldoni, Mirandolina; Gozzi, The King Stag.
Lists
Awards
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Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 78
- Also by
- 27
- Members
- 2,233
- Popularity
- #11,488
- Rating
- 3.8
- Reviews
- 16
- ISBNs
- 121
- Languages
- 4
- Favorited
- 1