"To read these dazzling letters between him and his editors is to know Behrman better in all his wit, drive, and penchant for social observation."―The New Yorker
Playwright, biographer, screenwriter, and critic S. N. Behrman (1893–1973) characterized the years he spent writing for The New Yorker as a time defined by “feverish contact with great theatre stars, rich people and social people at posh hotels, at parties, in mansions and great estates.” While he hobnobbed with the likes of Mary McCarthy, Elia Kazan, and Greta Garbo and was one of Broadway’s leading luminaries, Behrman would later admit that the friendships he built with the magazine’s legendary editors Harold Ross, William Shawn, and Katharine S. White were the “one unalloyed felicity” of his life.
People in a Magazine collects Behrman’s correspondence with his editors along with telegrams, interoffice memos, and editorial notes drawn from the magazine’s archives—offering an unparalleled view of mid-twentieth-century literary life and the formative years of The New Yorker, from the time of Behrman’s first contributions to the magazine in 1929 until his death.
“Joseph Goodrich’s book is an irresistible look at the early years of The New Yorker and one of its pioneering voices. S. N. Behrman’s masterly profiles helped establish the tone and style of the magazine during its formative years. In this volume, Goodrich delivers a compelling and richly detailed account of Behrman’s life and his remarkable relationship with the magazine. Here we get his encounters with George Bernard Shaw and Noel Coward, the origins of his celebrated portraits of Lord Duveen and Max Beerbohm, a plethora of his extended correspondence with Harold Ross and Katharine S. White, and much more. Deftly edited, these letters, many never before published, offer an enticing view of Manhattan’s literary world in the early part of the twentieth century. Those familiar with Behrman’s work will find Goodrich’s tome an enthralling deep-dive into the writer’s singular relationships with the renowned playwrights and editors of the day―and those unfamiliar with his canon, I predict, will find this collection even harder to put down.”
“Following the unjustly forgotten S. N. Behrman’s fascinating life, observing his personal and social encounters, is mesmerizing for any student of mainstream twentieth-century American cultural history. Yet, probably the best reason to read this book is the history of The New Yorker it gives.”
“The many fans of The New Yorker magazine as well as those interested in the literary world of S. N. Behrman will find this necessary reading.”
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