Spotlight on
Brooks Atkinson
(1894 - 1984)
Brooks Atkinson was born in Melrose, Massachusetts. After graduating from Harvard, he taught English at Dartmouth, and later worked as a reporter for the Springfield Massachusettes Daily News. He became the assistant drama critic of the Boston Daily Evening Transcript; after four years, he was hired by The New York Times, becoming drama critic in 1926.
When the United States entered World War II in 1941, Atkinson went overseas as a news correspondent, reporting from China and Russia. In 1947 he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for journalism for his reports on the Soviet Union.
He returned to writing theater reviews for The New York Times until his retirement in 1965. He was known for his candid, balanced reviews, presenting forthright opinions in a graceful writing style. He did not socialize with theater people, believing that the critic should be representative of “the average guy who goes to the theater.” In honor of his contributions to the field, in 1960 the Mansfield Theater was renamed the Brooks Atkinson.
Brooks Atkinson
(1894 - 1984)
Brooks Atkinson was born in Melrose, Massachusetts. After graduating from Harvard, he taught English at Dartmouth, and later worked as a reporter for the Springfield Massachusettes Daily News. He became the assistant drama critic of the Boston Daily Evening Transcript; after four years, he was hired by The New York Times, becoming drama critic in 1926.
When the United States entered World War II in 1941, Atkinson went overseas as a news correspondent, reporting from China and Russia. In 1947 he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for journalism for his reports on the Soviet Union.
He returned to writing theater reviews for The New York Times until his retirement in 1965. He was known for his candid, balanced reviews, presenting forthright opinions in a graceful writing style. He did not socialize with theater people, believing that the critic should be representative of “the average guy who goes to the theater.” In honor of his contributions to the field, in 1960 the Mansfield Theater was renamed the Brooks Atkinson.
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