KRONENBERGER, LOUIS

KRONENBERGER, LOUIS (1904–1980), U.S. dramatic and literary critic and author. Kronenberger, who was born and educated in Cincinnati, Ohio, was a relative of isaac mayer wise , the founder of American Reform Judaism. He first worked in publishing in New York, joined the editorial staff of Fortune magazine in the mid-30s, and from 1938 to 1961 was   drama critic of Time magazine. In 1953 he became professor of theater arts at Brandeis University, where he also served as librarian for a time. Kronenberger's books include Marlborough's Duchess (1958); a study of English stage comedy, The Thread of Laughter (1952); The Republic of Letters (1955); and critical essays on American society, notably Company Manners (1954) and The Cart and the Horse (1964). He also wrote the novels The Grand Manner (1929) and A Month of Sundays (1961). He compiled several prose and verse anthologies and edited a number of English classics as well as a series of plays, great letters, and masters of world literature. His best-known work is Kings and Desperate Men (1942), a study of life in 18th-century England. Kronenberger's reflections about his career can be found in his No Whippings, No Gold Watches; The Saga of a Writer and His Jobs (1970). -BIBLIOGRAPHY: S.J. Kunitz (ed.), Twentieth Century Authors, first supplement (1955), incl. bibl; Contemporary Authors, first revision (1967), incl. bibl. (Milton Henry Hindus)