Europe After 8:15

George Jean Nathan

1882–1958

A sharp-tongued theater critic and magazine editor, he helped reshape American literary culture in the early 20th century. His writing is remembered for its wit, confidence, and unapologetically strong opinions about the stage.

Willard Huntington Wright

1888–1939

Best known under the pen name S. S. Van Dine, this early 20th-century writer helped shape the classic detective novel with his polished, puzzle-filled Philo Vance stories. Before turning to crime fiction, he built a reputation as an art and literary critic in modernist circles.