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Edition 16 (2011) Winner
Eric Russell Bentley
エリック・ラッセル・ベントリー
Eric Russell Bentley
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1916-09-14 （Bolton, Lancashire, England）
- Died
- 2020-08-05 （New York City, U.S.） age 103
- Nationality
- British, American
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- Bolton, Lancashire → New York City (Manhattan)
Career
- Occupations
- theater critic, scholar, playwright, singer, editor, translator, university professor
- Active Years
- 1938-2020
- Affiliations
- Columbia University, Harvard University (Charles Eliot Norton Professor), American Academy of Arts and Sciences (Fellow), La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club (productions/collaborations)
- Influenced By
- Bertolt Brecht
- Influenced
- Andrei Serban (director), Elizabeth Swados (composer/director), Great Jones Repertory Company, younger theater practitioners, critics and scholars
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University College, Oxford (University of Oxford) | — | English | 学士（英語） | 1935-1938 | United Kingdom |
| Yale University | — | English / Drama | B.Litt.（1939）, Ph.D.（1941） | 1939-1941 | United States |
University College, Oxford (University of Oxford)
English
Degree:
学士（英語）
Period:
1935-1938
Year of Graduation:
1938
Country:
United Kingdom
Tutored by J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis
Yale University
English / Drama
Degree:
B.Litt.（1939）, Ph.D.（1941）
Period:
1939-1941
Year of Graduation:
1941
Country:
United States
Recipient of the John Addison Porter Prize
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | American Theatre Hall of Fame | — | — | American Theatre Hall of Fame | 殿堂入り |
| 2006 | Obie Award (Lifetime Achievement) | — | 生涯功労 | American Theatre Wing | 受賞 |
| 2007 | Robert Chesley Award | — | — | Robert Chesley Award organization | 受賞 |
| 1969 | Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences | — | — | American Academy of Arts and Sciences | 選出 |
American Theatre Hall of Fame
1998
Organization:
American Theatre Hall of Fame
Result:
殿堂入り
Obie Award (Lifetime Achievement)
2006
Category:
生涯功労
Organization:
American Theatre Wing
Result:
受賞
Robert Chesley Award
2007
Organization:
Robert Chesley Award organization
Result:
受賞
Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
1969
Organization:
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Result:
選出
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Are You Now Or Have You Ever Been: The Investigations of Show-Business by the Un-American Activities Committee 1947–1958
1972 play (documentary/dramatic collage)A stage piece constructed from transcripts of the House Un-American Activities Committee hearings, dramatizing investigations into show business and their consequences.
politics and expressioncensorshippublic hearingshistorical reenactment
Brecht Commentaries
1981 theatre criticism / commentaryA book of commentaries and criticism on Bertolt Brecht's work and methods, instrumental in introducing Brecht to English-speaking audiences through translations and analysis.
Brecht studiespolitical theatretranslation and performance theory
The Life of the Drama
1964 theatre criticismA collection of essays on the nature of theatre and its social role, noted for incisive observation and trenchant criticism.
function of theatrerole of criticismsocial critique
Bibliography
- A Century of Hero Worship (1944)
- The Playwright As Thinker (1946)
- Bernard Shaw (1947)
- The Modern Theatre (1948)
- In Search of Theater (1953)
- What Is Theatre? (1956)
- The Life of the Drama (1964)
- Thirty Years of Treason (1971)
- Theater of War (1972)
- Brecht Commentaries (1981)
- Thinking About The Playwright (1987)
Adaptations
- Productions at La MaMa of Bentley's translations of Brecht (1975, 1976, 1978)
- Stage productions of Are You Now Or Have You Ever Been (various venues)
Translations by Author
- English translations of Brecht's works (e.g., The Good Person of Szechwan)
- Interpretation and English translations/performances of songs by Hanns Eisler and Wolf Biermann
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- clear and caustic criticismdocumentary techniques in playwritingdidactic and analytical prose
- Recurring Motifs
- relationship between politics and theatrecensorship and public hearingscritique of exile and xenophobiahomosexuality and self-expression
Legacy
Eric Bentley was a central figure in 20th-century theatre criticism and Brecht studies, whose translations, productions and criticism greatly influenced English-speaking theatre. Known for his caustic critical style and political engagement, he left a lasting impact on practitioners and scholars.
Academic Societies
- American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Archives
- La MaMa Archives Digital Collections
- Columbia University archives (related materials)
- Smithsonian Folkways (recordings)
In Popular Culture
- Frequent references in theatre history and scholarship
Trivia
- Studied under J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis at Oxford.
- Became a U.S. citizen in 1948.
- Received the Obie Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2006.
- Bentley's translations of Brecht were staged repeatedly at La MaMa in the 1970s.
- Came out as homosexual at age 53, influencing his later work.
- Was threatened with lawsuits by Tennessee Williams and Arthur Miller over negative reviews.
- Recorded Brecht songs for Folkways Records (Smithsonian Folkways).
- Turned 100 in 2016 and died at 103 in 2020.