"Pretty irresistible." --Gregory Wilkin, NY Journal of Books "Robert Brustein is the rarest of rare amphibians: a powerful theater practitioner who is also a powerful critic. Savvy, fearless, opinionated, and fathomlessly curious, he is at once steeped in the classics and alert to the most recent tremors on the cultural seismograph. Bravo!" --Stephen Greenblatt, literary critic "On the basis of the record he keeps of inglorious theatre, he would certainly qualify as one of our most invaluable cultural commentators. What makes him to my mind the most important drama critic in America as well . is [his] strong moral concern for the quality of the lives we live." --Philip Roth, novelist "One of Robert Brustein's signal gifts as a critic is his ability to tell us a great deal, with surpassing insight and panache, in a remarkably brief compass. This is nowhere more evident than in the centerpiece of this book, a sequence of quick takes on more than two dozen major playwrights from Aeschylus and Aristophanes to Tony Kushner and Sara Ruhl.
His deft overviews of their work and influence, grounded in vast knowledge and unerring critical judgment, turns this into a miniature history of the theater itself. His work, including valuable longer essays and warm personal tributes, is at once wonderfully readable and indispensable." --Morris Dickstein, author, Dancing in the Dark and Why Not Say What Happened "Playwright, literary and cultural critic, founder and artistic director of two major repertory theaters and teacher, Robert Brustein has brought to every one of his roles intelligence and imagination of the highest order, literary cultivation, an intimate knowledge of our cultural life, high and low, a distinctive literary voice, at once incisive, witty and generous, and a charismatic presence. Winter Passages is at once a lament about the contamination of our cultural life by commercial values and a vivid celebration of writers past and present, colleagues and students who continue to inspire." --Eugene Goodheart, Brandeis University "As a writer, Robert Brustein is America's most intelligent theatre critic/author." --Robert Wilson, director "Robert Brustein is an artist and intellect who has done more to connect the life of the theater and delight mind than any thinker since Eric Bentley. Brilliant and infuriating, his criticism is indispensable and his voice is irreplaceable. He ennobles our sometime tawdry profession with his integrity and intelligence.
" --Oskar Eustis, artistic director, Public Theater.