Stephen Sondheim
Art Isn’t Easy
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Yale University Press
Publishing:26th May '26
£18.99
This title is due to be published on 26th May, and will be despatched as soon as possible.
A revelatory look at the complex inner world of one of the twentieth century’s most beloved theatrical composers
“[An] illuminating consideration of Sondheim’s long career. Without grandstanding in a game of biographical gotcha, Okrent takes up key themes of Sondheim’s life and links them persuasively to songs in his shows.”—David Hajdu, The Atlantic
“A stellar portrait.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Stephen Sondheim (1930–2021) was a towering figure in American musical theater. Celebrated for such iconic Broadway shows as Company, Sweeney Todd, and Into the Woods, his accolades include eight Tony Awards, multiple Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, and a Pulitzer Prize. In this intimate biography, Daniel Okrent follows Sondheim through the tumult of his upbringing and his parents’ divorce, his life-changing relationship with Oscar Hammerstein II and subsequent immersion in musical theater, and his rise to fame as both a lyricist and composer.
Okrent shines new light on Sondheim’s complicated emotional life, wavering self-confidence, and alcoholism, drawing on the artist’s intimate correspondence with such notable figures as Hal Prince, Leonard Bernstein, and Arthur Laurents; exclusive interviews with his close friends and collaborators, including James Lapine and John Weidman; and Sondheim’s own oral history, which remained closed until his death. He also reveals a previously unknown (and crucial) aspect of the infamous letter from Sondheim’s mother that made him believe she regretted his birth. As Okrent explores the ways Sondheim’s music and lyrics express the inner man, he shows us a life that was defined by two parallel arcs: the movement from alienation to connection, and from ambivalence to resolution.
“Stephen Sondheim: Art Isn’t Easy is a terrific book, the best that has been written about Steve. It captures him from every angle, and I learned things about him I never knew.”—James Lapine, librettist, Sunday in the Park with George, Into the Woods, and Passion
“Packed between the covers of this slim volume is the Stephen Sondheim I knew, evoked with insight, empathy, and elegance. A powerful and compelling read.”—John Weidman, librettist, Pacific Overtures, Assassins, and Road Show
“A marvelous feast of new insights.”—John McWhorter, New York Times
“[An] illuminating consideration of Sondheim’s long career. Without grandstanding in a game of biographical gotcha, Okrent takes up key themes of Sondheim’s life and links them persuasively to songs in his shows.”—David Hajdu, The Atlantic
“One of the best biographies I have ever read.”—Bill Goldstein, NBC New York
“Excellent. . . . Sondheim, whose work I adore, emerges as a monstre sacre—French for a super-talented diva—under the pen of biographer Daniel Okrent.”—Alex Beam, Boston Globe
“Drawing on rich research, Okrent vividly captures a clever, sensitive, complicated, and sometimes abrasive artist, and sheds fresh light on even Sondheim’s most well-known productions. It’s a stellar portrait of an American theater great.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“A brisk, engaging read that avoids hagiography. Okrent highlights the emotional frailties that coexisted with the brilliance and generosity.”—Julia Klein, Los Angeles Times
“[A] short, shrewd biography of the legendary composer/lyricist. . . . An indispensable supplement to our understanding of a musical theater giant.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“Daniel Okrent’s superb new biography is a tightly written, emotionally perceptive, and often exhilarating study of a Broadway giant.”—Chip Brown, Air Mail
“In this compact, densely pleasurable life of Stephen Sondheim, Daniel Okrent has achieved the remarkable feat of bringing to fresh life an endlessly chronicled subject in a compellingly readable and authoritative way.”—James Kaplan, author of Irving Berlin
“An intricate, elegant tour through the life and psyche of an uneasy genius. Okrent’s book is stuffed with new matter and fascinating insights even for specialists like me who’ve been immersed in Sondheim’s biography and art for decades.”—Laurie Winer, author of Oscar Hammerstein II and the Invention of the Musical
ISBN: 9780300270211
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
320 pages