Alexander Woollcott

Alexander Humphreys Woollcott was born on January 19, 1887, in Colts Neck Township, New Jersey, into a family that oscillated between genteel poverty and eccentricity. His early years were shaped by a love of literature and performance, nurtured during a formative stint in Kansas City. By the age of eight, he was devouring Dickens and dreaming of the stage.

Woollcott graduated from Hamilton College in 1909, where he founded a drama group and edited the student literary magazine. That same year, he joined The New York Times as a cub reporter, eventually becoming its drama critic in 1914. His career was briefly interrupted by World War I, during which he served in the U.S. Army and helped found the Stars and Stripes newspaper, reporting from the trenches with a blend of candor and compassion.

After the war, Woollcott returned to journalism, writing for The New York Herald, The World, and The New Yorker, where his column “Shouts and Murmurs” became a staple. He also became a radio sensation with his program The Town Crier, which showcased his flair for storytelling and gossip.

Woollcott was a central figure in the famed Algonquin Round Table—a gathering of New York’s literary elite in the 1920s and ’30s. His larger-than-life persona inspired characters in literature and film, most notably Sheridan Whiteside in The Man Who Came to Dinner and Waldo Lydecker in Laura.

He remained a bachelor, surrounded by close friendships with literary figures like Dorothy Parker and Neysa McMein. Woollcott died on January 23, 1943, after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage during a radio broadcast.

Alexander Woollcott was not merely a critic—he was a cultural force. His writing style, often florid and unapologetically ornate, was both admired and reviled. He wielded his pen like a rapier, skewering mediocrity and celebrating brilliance with equal fervor.

Books: His best-known work, While Rome Burns (1934), is a collection of essays that blends travel writing, literary criticism, and personal musings. It was praised by critic Vincent Starrett as one of the “fifty-two best loved books of the twentieth century.”

Anthologies: He curated The Woollcott Reader (1935) and Woollcott’s Second Reader (1937), showcasing his eclectic tastes and deep appreciation for storytelling.

Plays: Though not primarily a playwright, he co-wrote two Broadway shows with George S. Kaufman and even took to the stage himself, notably in The Royal Family.

Woollcott’s radio presence was revolutionary. As The Town Crier, he brought literature and theater into American homes with charm and authority. His broadcasts during World War II, particularly in England, were both morale-boosting and culturally enriching.

Woollcott’s influence extended beyond criticism. He helped shape public taste in literature and theater, championing authors like P.G. Wodehouse and Dorothy Parker. His friendships and feuds were legendary, and his sharp tongue made him both feared and beloved.

He was a paradox: a man of deep sentiment cloaked in sarcasm, a critic who longed to perform, and a public figure who remained intensely private. His life was a performance, and he played the role of Alexander Woollcott to perfection.