Brendan Gill

Brendan Gill – Life, Criticism & Memorable Insights

Discover the life and work of Brendan Gill (1914–1997), the longtime New Yorker critic, writer, and architectural preservationist. Explore his career in arts criticism, his influence on New York’s cultural fabric, and his most enduring quotes.

Introduction

Brendan Gill (October 4, 1914 ‒ December 27, 1997) was a prolific American writer, critic, journalist, and cultural figure best known for his decades-long tenure at The New Yorker.

Gill’s critical voice ranged across theater, film, architecture, and urban preservation. He combined wit, erudition, and a deep affection for New York’s built environment. Over six decades at the magazine, he became one of its indispensable voices—someone whose commentary shaped how readers saw the city, the arts, and their interrelation.

Early Life and Education

Gill was born in Hartford, Connecticut, on October 4, 1914. He attended Kingswood-Oxford School (in Hartford) before enrolling at Yale University, from which he graduated in 1936.

At Yale he became a member of the secret society Skull & Bones. After graduation, he began his writing career at The New Yorker, launched that same year (1936).

Gill married Anne Barnard in 1936.

Career and Criticism

At The New Yorker

Gill’s association with The New Yorker spanned over 60 years, during which he contributed more than 1,200 pieces. His writings included Profiles, “Talk of the Town” entries, and numerous reviews of theater and film.

• He served as the magazine’s film critic from 1960 to 1967.

• He was drama (theater) critic from 1968 to 1987.

• Beginning in 1987 until 1996, he wrote the architectural column “Skyline” (succeeding Lewis Mumford) in which he often championed historic preservation in New York City.

His architectural criticism and preservation advocacy became one of his defining interests. He was involved in efforts to preserve landmarks like Grand Central Terminal and served in several organizations devoted to historic conservation.

Beyond criticism, Gill also wrote essays, memoirs, and biographies. Notable among them is Here at The New Yorker (1975), a memoiristic account of his life in the magazine and his experiences with its staff and milieu.

He also penned biographies of figures such as Frank Lloyd Wright, Cole Porter, Tallulah Bankhead, and Charles Lindbergh.

In the last year of his life, he published Late Bloomers, a collection of portraits of people who found success later in life.

Influence & Legacy

Gill’s legacy is multifaceted:

1. Voice of New York’s cultural life. Through his criticism he helped shape public appreciation of theater, architecture, and urban aesthetics.

2. Preservation activism. He did not limit himself to words. He was active in civic and preservation organizations (e.g. New York Landmarks Conservancy) and used his platform to defend architectural heritage.

3. Literary witness. His memoirs and profiles capture the internal life of The New Yorker as a cultural institution.

4. Critical range. By writing across genres—criticism, biography, memoir—Gill exemplified the polymathic critic who doesn’t confine his voice to one domain.

5. Preservation of memory. Through his observant prose, Gill preserved snapshots of mid-20th century New York, its people, its architecture, and its social life—documenting change, continuity, and tension.

Personality & Style

Gill’s prose is often described as urbane, witty, elegant, and erudite. He had a knack for blending cultural insight with personal reflection.

He was also gregarious and socially engaged. His participation in walking tours, preservation committees, and public events showed that he believed in connecting with the city he wrote about, not merely observing it.

Gill was known to enjoy lively social life—attending theater premiers, cultural events, and walking the streets he loved. He relished being part of the fabric of New York life.

Famous Quotes

Here are some notable quotations by Brendan Gill, reflecting his wit, perspective on life, architecture, and criticism:

“Not a shred of evidence exists in favor of the idea that life is serious, though it is often hard and even terrible. The first rule of life is to have a good time; and the second rule of life is to hurt as few people as possible in the course of so doing. There is no third rule.”

“The ingenuities we practice in order to appear admirable to ourselves would suffice to invent the telephone twice over on a rainy summer morning.”

“I will try to cram these paragraphs full of facts and give them the weight and shape no greater than that of a cloud of butterflies.”

“A ritual disembowelment in the name of Urban Renewal.” (Gill’s expression of outrage at destructive urban renewal projects)

These lines showcase Gill’s ironic sensibility, his criticism of pretense, and his passionate defense of urban spaces.

Lessons from Brendan Gill

1. Criticism as civic gesture. Gill shows that criticism need not be an aloof activity—he used it to protect and enrich public life.

2. Culture in the everyday. His vantage was that theater, architecture, and urban form are not separate from life—they are part of how we live and see ourselves.

3. Longevity of voice. Over six decades, Gill remained relevant by adapting to shifts in culture while maintaining intellectual integrity.

4. Interdisciplinary breadth. His career demonstrates that critics can (and perhaps should) cross domains—writing about theater, film, buildings, and persons.

5. Writing with place. For Gill, the city (especially New York) was not just backdrop—it was a co-author, shaping characters, narratives, joys, and tensions.

Conclusion

Brendan Gill stands as a defining voice in 20th-century American criticism—one uniquely attuned to the intersections of art, architecture, and urban life. He was a writer of wit, memory, and advocacy; a preservationist who believed in the value of place; and a chronicler of The New Yorker and New York itself.