A Book Without A Title

“Everyone likes me,” said the man.

“That is Popularity,” whispered the little star.

“Everyone likes me and envies me,” said the man, a year later.

“That is Fame,” whispered the little star.

“Everyone despises me,” said the man, a year later still.

“That is Time,” whispered the little star…

***

GEORGE JEAN NATHAN (1882 –1958) was an American drama critic and editor. He worked closely with H.L. Mencken, bringing the literary magazine The Smart Set to prominence as an editor, and co-founding and editing The American Mercury and The American Spectator. Noted for the erudition and cynicism of his reviews, Nathan was an early champion of Eugene O'Neill. The George Jean Nathan Award, an honor in dramatic criticism, is named after him. Nathan is also a member of the American Theater Hall of Fame. 

In addition to his witty and masterful A Book Without A Title, Nathan wrote over forty books, almost all of them collections of his criticism. The most important are The Critic and the Drama (1922), in which he explains some principles behind his criticism; The Autobiography of an Attitude (1925) and The Intimate Notebooks of George Jean Nathan (1932), which reveal critical insights and show the reader something of Nathan's compelling theatrical persona.