George Jean Nathan

Here is a detailed and enriched profile of George Jean Nathan — his life, career, critical influence, memorable quotes, and lessons from his legacy.

George Jean Nathan – Life, Career, and Famous Quotes

Discover the life and legacy of George Jean Nathan (February 14, 1882 – April 8, 1958), the influential American drama critic and magazine editor. Explore his bio, critical philosophy, quotations, and lasting influence on theater and criticism.

Introduction

George Jean Nathan (1882–1958) was a towering figure in American theater and literary criticism. Known for his sharp wit, incisive judgments, and forceful voice, Nathan helped raise the standards of theatrical criticism, championed serious drama, and shaped public taste. As editor, critic, playwright, and cultural commentator, he left behind not only volumes of essays and reviews, but also a legacy embodied in the George Jean Nathan Award for Dramatic Criticism.

Early Life and Education

• Nathan was born on February 14, 1882, in Fort Wayne, Indiana, to Ella (Nirdlinger) and Charles Naret Nathan.

• He graduated from Cornell University in 1904, where he was active in journalism (editing The Cornell Daily Sun) and participated in the Quill and Dagger society.

• After Cornell, Nathan entered journalism and theater criticism. He joined the staff of The Smart Set (a literary magazine) around 1908 and later became co-editor (with H. L. Mencken) from 1914 to 1923.

Career & Contributions

As Critic & or

• Nathan became well known as a drama critic. He practiced what he called “destructive” criticism — meaning he aimed to pierce illusions, demand seriousness, and reject superficial or purely commercial theater.

• He championed playwrights and dramatic traditions often neglected or controversial in his time, such as Ibsen, George Bernard Shaw, Eugene O’Neill, Seán O’Casey, and Strindberg.

• Nathan and Mencken also founded and edited The American Mercury (from 1924 onward) and engaged in other magazine ventures.

• He published annually from 1943 to 1951 a volume titled Theatre Book of the Year, which collected essays and commentary on the theatrical season.

• In total, he produced more than thirty volumes of essays, critiques, and commentary on theater and culture.

Playwright & Literary Works

• Nathan also dabbled in drama and authored or co-authored several plays — for instance, The Eternal Mystery (1913) and Heliogabalus (1920, with Mencken).

• Many of his literary works were collections of essays, criticism, and reflections: The Critic and the Drama (1922), The Autobiography of an Attitude (1925), The Intimate Notebooks (1932), The Theatre, The Drama, The Girls (1921), among others.

Personal Life & Later Years

• Nathan was long known as something of a “ladies’ man” and had romantic relationships — notably with actress Lillian Gish in the late 1920s and 1930s.

• In 1955, at age 73, he married the actress Julie Haydon.

• Nathan died on April 8, 1958, in New York City at the age of 76.

• His estate directed that part of his legacy support dramatic criticism: the George Jean Nathan Award for Dramatic Criticism (first awarded in 1959) is funded by his bequest.

Philosophy & Influence

• Nathan believed criticism should be more than praise or condemnation — it should engage honestly with artistic worth, challenge complacency, and hold theater to its possibilities.

• He sought to elevate public taste and the seriousness of American theater, pushing against superficial entertainments and urging dramatists to engage ideas, character, and moral weight.

• His acerbic wit, sharp observation, and willingness to provoke kept him both admired and feared among artists and theatrical circles.

Famous Quotes

George Jean Nathan’s remarks are often pithy, witty, and cutting. Here are selected quotes that capture his style and insights:

• “Patriotism is often an arbitrary veneration of real estate above principles.”

• “Love is an emotion experienced by the many and enjoyed by the few.”

• “A man admires a woman not for what she says, but what she listens to.”

• “Criticism is the art of appraising others at one’s own value.”

• “I drink to make other people interesting.”

• “No man can think clearly when his fists are clenched.”

• “The dramatic critic who is without prejudice is on the plane with the general who does not believe in taking human life.”

• “A life spent in constant labor is a life wasted, save a man be such a fool as to regard a fulsome obituary notice as ample reward.”

These reflect Nathan’s skepticism, his view of love, art, criticism, and his characteristic blend of cynicism and aphorism.

Lessons from George Jean Nathan

1. Criticism must be fearless
   Nathan’s model reminds us that honest criticism—grounded in knowledge and candor—serves art more than flattery.

2. Wit sharpens thought
   His style shows how clarity, economy, and wit can make criticism memorable and influential.

3. Championing depth over popularity
   He arguably helped shift American theater toward more serious, idea-driven works, rather than purely commercial fare.

4. Legacy through institutions
   The Nathan Award shows how a critic’s influence can persist institutionally, not just through words.

5. The personal is public in the arts
   Nathan’s persona — his tastes, relationships, and public voice — became part of how his criticism was received. Critics, like artists, carry their presence.