author
Lewis Clinton Strang
1869–1935
A theater writer and critic from Massachusetts, he chronicled the actors, actresses, and opera stars who filled American stages around the turn of the 20th century. His books now offer a lively window into popular performance in that era.
1 Audiobook
Famous Prima Donnas
by Lewis Clinton Strang
About the author
Born in Westfield, Massachusetts, on December 4, 1869, Lewis Clinton Strang became an American writer, journalist, and dramatic critic. Available biographical sources describe him as the son of Clinton W. Strang and Ella J. Lewis Strang, and note that he studied at Boston University, earning his degree in 1892.
After college, he worked in journalism, including at the Boston Journal, before building a reputation as a writer on the theater. He is best remembered for books such as Famous Actresses of the Day in America, Famous Actors of the Day in America, Players and Plays of the Last Quarter Century, and Famous Prima Donnas. Taken together, these works show a strong interest in stage performance, celebrity, and the changing world of American entertainment.
Strang died on January 14, 1935. Although he is not widely known today, library and public-domain records show that his books have endured, especially for readers interested in theater history and the personalities of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.