Young, Stark

(1881-1963)

   Born in Como, Mississippi, Stark Young studied English at the University of Mississippi and Columbia, after which he held several academic jobs. He became a contributor to the New Republic and associate editor of Theatre Arts magazine in 1921. The following year, Young ascended to the job of drama critic for New Republic and, with a one-year respite in 1924-1925, he held the post until his retirement in 1947. Young wrote some unsuccessful plays, translated works by Anton Chekhov, and occasionally directed plays, notably Eugene O'Neill's Welded (1924). Beyond his drama criticism, Young also wrote books: The Flower in Drama (1923), Glamour (1925), Theatre Practice (1926), and The Theatre (1927), as well as a successful 1934 novel, So Red the Rose.