A Biography of Robert E. Sherwood (1896-1955): Playwright, Screenwriter, and Presidential Advisor

FAIN: FB-51668-05

Harriet Hyman Alonso
CUNY Research Foundation, City College (New York, NY 10031-9101)

This interdisciplinary project involves the seemingly unlikely pairing of diplomatic and theater history. Robert E. Sherwood played an important role in the evolution of U.S. public opinion from isolationism to internationalism from the 1920s to the 1950s. During that time, he wrote the prize-winning "Abe Lincoln in Illinois," "Idiot's Delight," "There Shall be No Night," and "The Best Years of Our Lives." During WWII, he served as war propaganda advisor to F. D. Roosevelt and acted as Director of the Office of War Information. His book "Roosevelt and Hopkins" won the Pultizer and Bancroft Prizes. His life and work mirrored the U.S. government's and people's struggle over the philosophical and political issues surrounding war and peace.

Media Coverage

Book review of Robert E. Sherwood: The Playwright in Peace and War (Review)
Author(s): Anne Fletcher
Publication: Peace & Change
Date: 1/1/2010
Abstract: This is a book review.
URL: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/PECH

Restless Intelligence (Review)
Author(s): Celia Wren
Publication: American Theatre
Date: 11/1/2008
Abstract: This is a book review.

Arts and Humanities Reviews (Review)
Author(s): Ben Malczewski
Publication: Library Journal
Date: 12/1/2007
Abstract: This is a book review which "highly recommends" the book to libraries.

Robert E. Sherwood book review (Review)
Author(s): Michael A. Cramer
Publication: Theatre Journal
Date: 12/1/2008
Abstract: This is a book review.

Robert E. Sherwood book review (Review)
Author(s): Robert C. Cottrell
Publication: Journal of American History
Date: 12/1/2008
Abstract: This is a book review.

Robert E. Sherwood book review (Review)
Author(s): Fonzie D. Geary II
Publication: Theatre Survey
Date: 1/18/2012
Abstract: This is a book review.

A New Act in Abraham Lincoln's Dramatic Life (Media Coverage)
Author(s): Peter Marks
Publication: The Washington Post
Date: 2/8/2009
Abstract: This article about Abe Lincoln makes reference to Harriet Alonso's comments on Robert Sherwood's play, "Abe Lincoln in Illinois."

University Press Books Selected for Public and Secondary School Libraries (Media Coverage)
Author(s): Committee of Librarians from the American Association of School Librarians and the Public Library
Publication: University Press Books Selected for Public and Secondary School Libraries
Date: 1/1/2008
Abstract: This is a list of books selected by the American Association of School Librarians and the Public Library Association as books that they consider "must haves", "the 'jewels' from the university presses.
URL: http://aaupnet.org/librarybooks

Associated Products

Robert E. Sherwood: The Playwright in Peace and War (Book)
Title: Robert E. Sherwood: The Playwright in Peace and War
Author: Harriet Hyman Alonso
Abstract: This biography of the playwright, Robert E. Sherwood covers his transition from a young man intent on fighting in World War I into an interwar era pacifist and then again into a World War II proponent. During WWII, he served as speech writer for FDR and an official in the Office of War Information. After the war, he supported peace but a took a strong anticommunist position.
Year: 2007
Primary URL: http://www.umass.edu/umpress
Primary URL Description: This is the website for the University of Massachusetts Press.
Publisher: University of Massachusetts Press
Type: Single author monograph
ISBN: 9781558496194

The Transformation of Robert E. Sherwood from Pacifist to Interventionist (Article)
Title: The Transformation of Robert E. Sherwood from Pacifist to Interventionist
Author: Harriet Hyman Alonso
Abstract: The playwright Robert E. Sherwood is most known for his powerful antiwar voice on Broadway during the late 1920s and 1930s. As fascism spread in Europe, however, Sherwood evolved from a pacifist into an interventionist. Largely relying on his diary entries and his three Pulitzer Prize-winning plays, "Idiot's Delight" (1936), "Abe Lincoln in Illinois" (1938) and "There Shall Be No Night" (1940), this article traces Sherwood's sea change from staunch pacifist to determined interventionist.
Year: 2007
Primary URL: http://blackwellpublishing.com/PECH
Primary URL Description: This is the website for the publisher of the journal Peace & Change
Format: Journal
Periodical Title: Peace & Change: A Journal of Peace Research
Publisher: Blackwell Publishing

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