Leonard Bernstein

“Excellent.”—David Denby, New Yorker “An engrossing portrait of a gifted—and conflicted—man.”—Jerusalem Post “There were, and are, critics who believe that Bernstein’s facility and fecundity was merely dilettantism. Allen Shawn’s suave new biography hopes to give them pause.”—Christopher Bray, The Spectator “Immensely valuable as a concise study of a major figure; sympathetic in its account of his life and its artistic and social context, and illuminating in its critical judgements.”—Anthony Burton, BBC Music “I can’t imagine a better biography of Leonard Bernstein. His intensity, complexity, and personal charm come across fully; so do his manifest importance to twentieth-century American culture and his intimate relation to the music he produced. Bravo!”—Wendy Lesser