The pulitzer prize archive cultural criticism 1969 1990

säur


THE PULITZER PRIZE ARCHIVE
A History and Anthology of
Award-winning Materials in
Journalism, Letters, and Arts
Series Editor:
Heinz-Dietrich Fischer
Ruhr University, Bochum
Federal Republic of Germany

PART B: OPINION JOURNALISM

Volume 6

Κ • G • Saur
München • London • New York
Paris 1992


Cultural Criticism
1969 -1990
From Architectural Damages
to Press Imperfections

Edited with general and special
introductions by
Heinz-Dietrich Fischer
in cooperation with
Erika J. Fischer

Κ · G • Saur
München • London • New York
Paris 1992


Gefördert durch Dietrich Oppenberg
aus Mitteln der Stiftung Pressehaus N R Z
Essen

Die Deutsche Bibliothek -

CIP-Einheitsaufnahme

The Pulitzer prize archive : a history and anthology of awardwinning materials in journalism, letters, and arts I ser. ed..
Heinz-Dietrich Fischer. - München ; London ; New York ;
Paris : Saur.
ISBN 3-598-30170-7
NE: Fischer, Heinz-Dietrich [Hrsg.]
Vol. 6 : Pt. B, Opinion journalism. Cultural criticism 1 9 6 9 1990 : from architectural damages to press imperfections / ed.
with general and special introd. by Heinz-Dietrich Fischer in
cooperation with Erika J. Fischer. - 1992.
ISBN 3-598-30176-6

Gedruckt auf säurefreiem Papier I Printed on acid-free paper

Alle Rechte vorbehalten - All Rights Strictly Reserved
K. G. Saur Verlag G m b H & Co. KG, München 1992
A Reed Reference Publishing Company
Printed in the Federal Republic of Germany

by W S Druckerei Werner Schaubruch GmbH, Bodenheim
Bound by Buchbinderei Schaumann, Darmstadt
Cover Design by Manfred Link, München
ISBN 3-598-30176-6 (Vol. 6)
ISBN 3-598-30170-7 (Complete Set)


ν

PREFACE

When, in 1970, a new Pulitzer Prize category was established
called "distinguished criticism or commentary," especially the
"prize for criticism was a long overdue recognition of the
growing importance of cultural affairs as a special field of
journalism," John Hohenberg stated. "Only the wealthiest and
most powerful newspapers, which included most of the large
ones," he added, "could afford to maintain their own critics in
such varied fields as books and drama, movies and television,
art and architecture, and music." What the Advisory Board of
the Pulitzer Prizes as well as the annual juries in this award
category hoped for was to encourage also younger newspaper
people to go in for critical writing in years to come. Although
it is too early to decide whether this gentle aim could be
realized through this Pulitzer Prize category, the deeper sense
behind establishing the new award in the beginning seventies
also might have been a question of image-lifting for a sometimes hated journalistic profession.
"Critic baiting, like riding to hounds," George N. Gordon
said, "is an old and honorable sport that has it roots in Periclean Athens, if not before. Its antiquity derives from the
fact that artistic criticism is certainly as old as the arts possibly older, because the absence of anything to criticize

has never stood in the way of the confirmed and devout
critic... The trouble with criticizing critics is that it is
all too easy to do poorly. Critics are vulnerable, and they may
be 'proved' wrong in too many ways. A movie that receives a
negative critical reception can make monkeys out of the most
prestigious reviewer simply by pleasing a large or notable
audience... Press critics with few exceptions tend to hit and


VI

run...

A

living

dangerously...

too,

critic

but

is,

safer

however,

Criticizing

than

misinterpreting

a man

being

standards

a
of

or

woman

critics

critic.

who

is

This

evaluation,

must

enjoy

dangerous

peril

work

stems

finding

from

biases

and

misconstructions that do not exist..."
This book

- covering

outstanding

critical

the history

writing

of the Pulitzer Prize

in

different

cultural

for

fields

during two decades - demonstrates and documents several of the
potential
stories

conflicts

behind

of

the

critics,

stories

too.

seem

to

In

be

several

as

cases,

fascinating

the

as

the

award-winning articles themselves. But there could not be found
any

hint

critic

to what
in

Mark

literature,

degraded

of

powerful

critical

done

Twain

all

without

music

trades."

texts

the

once

stated:

and

The

the

valuable

drama

present

of various

"The trade
is

volume,

kinds,

assistance

of

(the)

(the)

most

which

contains

could not

of

quite

have

a

been

number

of

people. First of all, the authors want to express their thanks

to the very

cooperative

administrators

at

University

in

Columbia

Robert

C.

Pulitzer

Christopher

Prize

winning

entries

reports

and

the

and

Office,

City

Mr.

not

only

background

of

New

Edward

York:

M.

made

from the criticism

other

of the Pulitzer

category but

materials

Professor

Kliment,

available

Prizes
of

the

award-

also the

containing

the

the

jury

annual

discussions and decisions during the selection process.
Executives

from award-winning

award-winners
could

be

helped

realized.

permission

for

(The Washington
J.

Gapp

Post),

Mr.

R.

Huxtable

(The New

Chronicle),

Pulitzer

Harris
York

(The

a book

persons

Journal),

Green

New

L.

F. Kerr

(The News

A. Laventhol

(Los Angeles

Times),

this

one

granted

articles:

Mr.

Mrs. Elsie Carper
Sun-Times),

Mr.

Geldmacher

(Field

(The Washington

Post),

York

(The New

and Observer,

several

kindly

(Chicago

John

as

like

Times),

Times), Mrs. Jackie Jones

Mr. Walter

Post-Dispatch),

Street

Mrs. Heather

as well

Prize-winning

Tribune),

Jean Kossoff
Louis

that

Mr. Roger Ebert

(Chicago

Inc.),

ways

following

(The Wall

Enterprises,
Leonard

The

reprinting

Robert L. Bartley
Paul

in many

newspapers

York

Mrs.
(San

Times),

Ada

L.

Francisco
Mrs.

M.

Raleigh, N.C.), Mr. David

Mr. Frank L. Peters Jr.

Mrs. Cheryl Preston

(Los Angeles

(St.

Times),


VII
Mrs.

Irene

Times),

Schwartz

(Newsday) , Mr. David L. Shaw

Mr. Claude F. Sitton

N.C.),

Mr.

Yardley
Out

Davis

Taylor

(The Boston

(The Washington
of

the

(The News

and

Carroll

other

(Düsseldorf)

Brown

School
Frank

of

persons

Council

(Arthur Hays

J. Carroll

helping

at

on

New

America,
Institute
Berlin)

York),

Columbia

Mr.

Mrs.

Service

Bonn),

Jörg

libraries

of Congress,

Larry

New

Mr.
Mrs.

Graduate

York),

Washington,

Mr.

D.C.),

the

James

Embassy

Monika

Claudia

(American Council on

Heinzerling

Brigitte

at

Mrs.

Mrs.

York),

of the

University,

of

Schröder

for North America Studies
and

and Mr.

to

(Library of the Institute for Paedagogics at

York),

Information

authors

New

Library

Ruhr University, Bochum), Mrs. Karen Furey
Press,

the

(New York)

Germany,

Sulzberger

(The Library

Mr. Johannes Dedek
New

Jonathan

following people gave useful information:

Journalism

Germany,

and Mr.

deserve special thanks. From

(American

Sheila Carney

Raleigh,

Post).

numerous

and archives the

Angeles

Observer,

Globe),

prepare this volume, Mrs. Ursula Bauer
Strackbein

(Los

Stone

(The

(Library
the

Associated

of

the

United

(Library,

U.S.

States

J.

F.

Kennedy

at the Free University

(Pulitzer

Prize

of

Office

of
at

Columbia University, New York) . Thanks also go to Mr. David L.
Shaw: He gave his personal approval to the authors of this book
to

divide

two

of

his

lengthy

Pulitzer

Prize-winning

articles

into four texts in order to keep the volume within the

limits

of its predecessors.
At the Department of Journalism and Communication at the Ruhr
University

first of all'Mrs.

Ingrid Dickhut has to be

mentio-

ned: She not only typed the manuscript and made the layout but
she also was responsible
Oliver

Krems,

manuscript,

Μ.Α.,

and

proof-reading

Mrs.

and

articles to make

for the

helped
Ulrike

formulated
the

indexing of this volume.

to
G.
new

translate

Wahl,

Μ.Α.,

headlines

parts
did

for

of

the
the

contents more understandable

bulk

Mr.
the
of

reprinted

for

today's

readers. Mr. Olaf Jubin and Mr. Jürgen Niemann helped gathering
biographical
Schons

and

of the K.

other

G.

needed

information.

Saur Publishing

Company

Mrs.

Michele

at Munich

A.

kindly

looked through the introduction chapter as a native speaker

in

English. Finally, the authors express their thanks to Dr. Diet-


VIII
rich Oppenberg (publisher of the Neue Ruhr/Rhein Zeitung,
Essen/FRG) who gave a grant for doing the necessary research

for this volume in libraries and archives in Germany and
abroad.
Bochum, FRG
June, 1992

E.J.F./H.-D.F.


IX

C O N T E N T S

PREFACE

,.

INTRODUCTION
By Heinz-Dietrich Fischer, Ruhr-Universität

Ν
ΧΝ

Bochum

HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE PULITZER PRIZE FOR
DISTINGUISHED CRITICISM

XV

SELECTIONS FROM AWARD-WINNING ENTRIES

REMARKS ABOUT THE SELECTIONS CRITERIA

1

ABOUT ARCHITECTURE ISSUES IN 1969
By Ada L. Huxtable, The New York Times

3

2

MUNICIPAL TRAFFIC PLANS WILL MAIM SOME DOWNTOWN DISTRICTS

4

SENSE OF HISTORY AND ESTHETICS PERVADES A NEW CITY HALL

8

.

A BLACK COMMUNITY FIGHTS A STATE OFFICE BUILDING PROJECT

12

RENEWAL PROGRAMS THREATEN CITY DISTRICTS AND NATURAL
ASSETS

16

ABOUT MUSIC TOPICS IN 1970
By Harold C. Schonberg, The New York

19
Times

SOVIET AVANTGARDE MUSIC OBSERVED BY THE POLITICAL SYSTEM

20

CONDUCTING MUSIC THE CELLIST VIRTUOSO BECOMES A YOUNG MAN

23

SOME GREAT CLASSICAL COMPOSERS DESERVE TIMELESS RELEVANCE

28

REMINISCENCES OF TWO FAMOUS BUT VERY DIFFERENT CONDUCTORS

32

ABOUT DANCE ARRANGEMENTS IN 1971
By Frank L. Peters Jr., St. Louis

37
Post-Dispatah

BALLET PERFORMANCES ENJOY POPULAR UPSWING AMONG FANS
FANATICAL DEVOTION OF CHAMBER MUSICIANS TO THEIR WORK

38
...

42

IN A WORLD OF INDIFFERENCE SOME PEOPLE LIVE THEIR MUSIC .

Μ

SENS I VITY TO ALL SORTS OF MUSIC CHARACTERIZES THAT PRODIGY

52


χ
A B O U T T E L E V I S I O N O U T L I N E S IN 1972
By Ronald D. P o w e r s , Chicago
Sun-Times

55

Y O U N G C R E A T I V E W R I T E R S C O U L D E N L I V E N SILLY TV
MENT
O L Y M P I C GAMES
HONOR

TV R E P O R T E R S AS C U S T O D I A N S O F

S O B E R I N G INSIGHTS

TV SHOWS

56

NATIONAL

INTO O N E O F A M E R I C A ' S M O S T

E L E C T E D T R U S T E E S O F P U B L I C TV TRY TO SERVE
INTEREST

ENTERTAIN-

60

POPULAR

62

VIEWERS'

64

A B O U T A R T E X H I B I T I O N S IN 1 9 7 3
By Emily G e n a u e r , Newsday
Syndicate

69

A N O R W E G I A N P A I N T E R SEEN UNDER A S P E C T S O F HIS P R I V A T E LIFE

70

THE G R E A T C U B I S T ' S

73

NUDITY A N D V I O L E N C E

POSITION

IN T W E N T I E T H - C E N T U R Y A R T

IN ART AS E X P R E S S I O N S O F M O D E R N LIFE

THE P A I N T E R O F B I B L I C A L V I S I O N S HAS GOT HIS OWN M U S E U M

78

..

A B O U T F I L M P R O D U C T I O N S IN 1 9 7 4
By Roger J. Ebert, Chicago
Sun-Times

82
87

FEMALE M O V I E R O L E S R E P R E S E N T ONLY S T E R E O T Y P E D

IMAGES

88

NEW W A V E FILMS A N D THEIR T R E A T M E N T O F SEX P R O B L E M S

93

A P R I V A T E EYE M O V I E AS COMPLEX STORY O F EVIL ITSELF

97

C I N E M A T I C S T R U C T U R E S O F TWO S U C C E S S F U L FILM D I R E C T O R S
ABOUT DANCE EVENTS

...

IN 1 9 7 5

By Alan M. K r i e g s m a n , The

103
109

Washington

Post

I N T E R N A T I O N A L B A L L E T I C B R I L L I A N C E NOW SHOWN FOR D E C A D E S

.

110

A S P E C T S O F S Y M B I O T I C A F F I L I A T I O N B E T W E E N FILM A N D DANCE

.

114

M O S C O W ' S FAMOUS BALLET COMPANY E X P E C T E D WITH NEW PROGRAM

120

C E R T A I N E F F E C T S O F P O L I T I C S ON A D A N C E R ' S CAREER

127

A B O U T B O O K P U B L I C A T I O N S IN 1 9 7 6
By W i l l i a m A. M c P h e r s o n , The Washington

131

Poet

A P R O L I F I C E W R I T E R ' S NEW N O V E L IS A B O U T MONEY A N D POWER

.

132

D I S T U R B A N C E O F E D E N BY P R O G R E S S

.

136

YOUNG POET B E T W E E N E D W A R D I A N
REALITY
LETTERS

IN A SMALL FARM V I L L A G E

IDEALS A N D

OUTRAGEOUS

I L L U M I N A T I N G V A R I E D D E C A D E S O F A M E R I C A N HISTORY

139
.

143


XI
A B O U T T H E A T E R P E R F O R M A N C E S IN 1 9 7 7
By Walter F. Kerr, The New York
Times

147

THE F A S C I N A T I N G A R T O F PLAYING A ROLE S E N S I T I V E L Y

148

THEATER O N C E D E A L T WITH R O M A N C E NOW EXPOSES SEX

152

TWO FEMALE E N T E R T A I N E R S

158

PUT ON A S T R I K I N G SHOW

I N T E R P R E T A T I O N S O F TWO A C T O R S P L A Y I N G THE SAME R O L E

162

A B O U T A R C H I T E C T U R E D E F I C I E N C I E S IN 1 9 7 8
By Paul J. G a p p , Chicago
Tribune

167

NEW F E D E R A L B U I L D I N G NOT C O M P A T I B L E W I T H CITY
PLANS
CHEERLESS

MASTER
168

S H A P I N G O F L I V I N G SPACE IN SOME D O W N T O W N A R E A S

FEW CITY H O T E L L O B B I E S OFFER A T A S T E F U L
ATMOSPHERE

GENERAL

176

R U T H L E S S W R E C K I N G O F L A N D M A R K S BY U R B A N R E N E W A L P R O J E C T
ABOUT TELEVISION CONCEPTS
By William A. Henry

180
IS5

Boston

Globe

TV A U D I E N C E O V E R TWO DECADES

HOW TO A D A P T A FAMOUS N O V E L O F GUILT AND LOVE FOR TV

186
....

189

ETHICS O F S E V E R A L TV S P O R T S C A S T E R S ' B E L O N G ON THE
SIDELINES

192

HIGHLY

195

S T E R E O T Y P E D C H A R A C T E R S D O M I N A T E TV N E T W O R K P R O G R A M S

ABOUT BOOK MESSAGES
By

.

IN 1979

III, The

FAIRYTALE FASCINATES

172

Jonathan

IN 1980

Y a r d l e y , The

SLIMY'EXERCISES

199

Washington

Star

IN THE " N E W " J O U R N A L I S M P R O F E S S I O N

CHINESE-AMERICANS'

PROBLEMS OF CULTURAL

A G R E E N H O R N ' S WILD A D V E N T U R E S

INTEGRATION

203

SIXTIES

207

G L I M P S E S O F A N I N F L U E N T I A L C O L U M N I S T ' S DUAL C A R E E R

210

ABOUT MUSIC PRESENTATIONS

IN 1 9 8 1

By Martin B e r n h e i m e r , Los

Angeles

AN O U T S T A N D I N G V I O L I N I S T ' S

IN THE EARLY

200

215
Times

S T A N D A R D WAS SIMPLY

PERFECTION

216

M O D E R N S E T T I N G O F A CLASSIC O P E R A AS BIG M U S I C A L
CHALLENGE

221

A C C L A I M E D STAR TENOR D I S A P P O I N T S
PERFORMANCE

224

IN ITALIAN

OPERA

OPERA M A S T E R P I E C E P E R F O R M E D AS N A I V E C O M P E N D I U M
CLICHES

OF

227


XII
ABOUT ART ASPECTS

IN 1 9 8 2

233

By Manuela V. H o e l t e r h o f f , The
AN E S T H E T I C A L L Y

Wall

FASCINATING

TWO A R T E X H I B I T I O N S

Street

Journal

TV S E R I E S AS G R E A T FILM A R T

ILLUMINATE MODERN

ITALIAN P A I N T I N G

SOME O L D M A S T E R S ' PAINTINGS V I S U A L I Z E H E A V E N A N D EARTH
C O N T E M P O R A R Y ART SHOW D O E S N ' T
ABOUT ARCHITECTURE CHALLENGES
By

234

..

236

. .

INDICATE F U T U R E TRENDS

Paul 0. G o l d b e r g e r , The New

York

240
244

IN 1 9 8 3

249
Times

A W O R L D C A P I T A L ' S STEEL ICON BECOMES O N E CENTURY OLD

250

RESTORATION

254

PLANS T H R E A T E N U . S . P A R L I A M E N T B U I L D I N G

DESIGN OF NEW COLLEGE H A L L SHOWS C O M P O S I T I O N A L

...

258

W E S T C O A S T CITY PLANS TO LIMIT U N F E T T E R E D D O W N T O W N G R O W T H

263

ABOUT TELEVISION COVERAGES
By

.

TALENT

IN 1 9 8 4

Howard R o s e n b e r g , Los Angeles

269
Times

IF P R E S I D E N T I A L C A N D I D A T E S O N C E HELD A N H O N E S T TV D E B A T E

270

E L E C T R O N I C PREACHERS MIX THEOLOGY A N D
POLITICS

273

A TV N E T W O R K ' S
GAMES

DOCTRINAIRE

J I N G O I S T I C C O V E R A G E O F THE L.A. O L Y M P I C

276

S O F T - F O C U S E D NEWS PROGRAMS P R E S E N T E D BY PERKY TV A N C H O R S
A B O U T M U S I C C O N D I T I O N S IN 1 9 8 5
By Donal J. H e n a h a n , The New York

280
283

Times

A SOPRANO'S FAREWELL APPEARANCE

IN A D E F I C I E N T P R O D U C T I O N

284

THE M I R A C L E O F TWO BAROQUE C O M P O S E R S ' M U S I C A L A C H I E V E M E N T

287

OPERAGOERS' PROPOSALS
PLAUSIBLY

292

FAULTS

TO P E R F O R M A M U R D E R

SCENE

IN THE M U S I C A L LOGIC O F TOO MANY Y O U N G C O M P O S E R S

A B O U T B O O K C O N T E N T S IN 1 9 8 6
By R i c h a r d G. Eder, Los Angeles

.

296
301

Times

T U M U L T O U S S E A R C H FOR A W O M A N ' S P A S T IN SOCIETY

302

M E M O R I E S O F A V E R Y H A U N T I N G A N D SOLITARY C H I L D H O O D

305

AGE

309

IS W E L L A B L E TO P R E V A I L OVER

NEW STEP IN A JOURNEY

C H A L L E N G I N G YOUTH

FROM A DARK CAVE INTO THE LIGHT

...

313


XIII
ABOUT TELEVISION PROGRAMS IN 1987
By Thomas W. Shales, The Washington

317
Post

FICTIONAL TV STORY ON A SOVIET-OCCUPIED AMERICA

318

DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CONTENDERS

325

IN TV DEBATES

TV TRANSMITTED HEARING ON NOMINATION TO SUPREME COURT

...

328

TV COVERAGE DOESN'T COME UP TO GRACIOUS HISTORIC SUMMIT .

332

ABOUT BOOK QUESTIONS IN 1988
By Michael Skube, The Newa and Observer,

337
Raleigh

WHAT A FELLOWSHIP OF REGIONAL WRITERS SHOULD SET AS ITS
AIM
,

338

TWO NOVELISTS RECONSTRUCT AMBIVALENT TIES OF FATHER TO
SON

341

SHAPELESS AND WOODEN NOVEL AGAIN ATOP THE BEST SELLER
LISTS

344

LETTERS OF AN EXCELLENT MUSIC CRITIC SHOW WIT AND
FRANKNESS

347

ABOUT ARCHITECTURE PROBLEMS IN 1989
By Allan B. Temko, San Francisco
Chroniole
FORMER ARMY BASE AS CULTURAL AND EDUCATIONAL RESOURCE

351
...

ESTHETIC QUALITY SHOULD LEAD DOWNTOWN BUILDING PROGRAMS
EARTHQUAKE REVEALS SOME FAULTS IN BUILDING TECHNIQUES

.

357

...

362

NEW HALFWAY HOUSE IS A MASTERPIECE OF SOCIAL DESIGN
ABOUT MEDIA FAILURES IN 1990
By David L. Shaw, Los Angeles

352

368
373

Times

MOSTLY UNCRITICAL MEDIA COVERAGE OF A CONTROVERSIAL TRIAL

374

LOOKING TOWARD AUTHORITIES THE MEDIA PREJUDGED DEFENDANTS

381

HOW A LARGE NEWSPAPER CAN CONTRIBUTE TO PUBLIC OUTRAGE

..

387

WHAT IS DECISIVE FOR A GAZETTE'S FAIR COURT REPORTING?

..

396

WINNERS OF THE DISTINGUISHED CRITICISM AWARD, 1991-2001
- SPACE FOR NOTES -

404

INDEX

*07

THIS VOLUME IS DEDICATED TO

WILLIAM H. G R I M E S (1892- 1972)
- PULITZER PRIZE WINNER 1947 ON HIS 100TH BIRTHDAY


XV
INTRODUCTION

HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE PULITZER PRIZE FOR DISTINGUISHED
CRITICISM
by Heinz-Dietrich Fischer

Critical journalism has a long tradition in America, going back
more than two and a half centuries, as far as the mid-1730s,
when, for example, the South Carolina

Gazette began publishing

1

reviews.· · "As the American press grew and diversified through
the years," John W. English states, "the range of criticism
expanded and reviewing the arts became more accepted and institutionalized. While early movies were regularly reported and
reviewed, film criticism only became an accepted practice in
1924 when the New York Times named Mordaunt Hall as its first
regular, full-time critic... 'Instant criticism,' a form that
began about the turn of the century, developed because of the
great newspaper rivalries of the Penny Press - Hearst, Pulitzer,

et al. Criticism was treated as news and competitive news operations were bent on being first in print with a 'scoop.1

Critics

for morning newspapers were expected to rush back to their offices after an evening performance and pour out their views in
time for the deadline of the next edition, then usually past
midnight... Today, in the few remaining competitive newspaper
cities and elsewhere, instant criticism is still practiced. But
rush-to-print policies are beginning to diminish as press deadlines have moved up to 11:30 p.m. and few critics can produce
creditable work in less than 30 m i n u t e s . T h i s

is a summarized

description of how criticism in print media takes place in our
time - which is often apostrophized as a critical age in which
nearly everything is a potential object of media criticism.^
1

Cf. Heinz-Dietrich Fischer, Reviewing the Arts in the U.S. Mass Media, in:
Gazette - International
Journal for Mass Communication
Studies
(Deventer/NL), Vol. 34/1984, pp. 21 ff.
2 John W. English, Criticizing the Critics, New York 1979, pp. 11 f.
3 Heinz-Dietrich Fischer (Ed.), Kritik in Massenmedien. Objektive Kriterien
oder subjektive Wertung?, Cologne/FRG 1983, pp. 11 ff.


XVI
One might ask whether critics who are under extreme time pressure, especially those working at newspapers, are adequately

prepared for their jobs. It is an age-old dispute whether journalists are born or whether they can be educated. Another longstanding question is how journalists can be advised to demonstrate competence in any form of critical writing or speaking. A
decade ago, Karlyn Kohrs Campbell from the University of Kansas
made this statement: "The final form of a rhetorical criticism
reflects an imaginative interaction between a critic and a rhetorical work. In that sense, of course, the art of criticism is
u n t e a c h a b l e . J o s e p h Pulitzer

(1847-1911) never would have

believed this for he was an advocat of the basic idea that
nearly everything in the field of journalism can be taught, thus
suggesting to cover the field of criticism in journalism education as well. He also revealed why this is such an important
problem. The journalist "must have the critical faculty,"
Pulitzer wrote in his most famous article, "for all newspaper
work involves criticism and analysis. The journalist criticizes
everything under the sun; his eye is always at the mental
microscope and his hand on the dissecting knife."^ Later on,
this idea belonged to the basic educational philosophy of the
School of Journalism, established by Pulitzer's sponsorship at
Columbia University of New York City in 1912. ^ In his testament,
Pulitzer finally expressed "his interest in endowing a series of
awards that might serve to recognize the best American writing
year after year..." 7
Besides various scholarships for outstanding students, Pulitzer also intended to inaugurate several awards for journalists,
one of them intended for the critical and analytical field of
journalism, "for the best editorial article during the year, the
test of excellence being clearness of style, moral purpose,
4 Quoted from: N. Michael Nickl, "Criticism is unteachable", in: Publizistik
(Konstanz/FRG), Vol. 27/No. 3, July-September 1982, p. 400.
5 Joseph Pulitzer, Planning a School of Journalism - The Basic Concept in
1904, in: Heinz-Dietrich Fischer/Christopher G. Trump (Eds.), Education in

Journalism. The 75th Anniversary of Joseph Pulitzer's Ideas at Columbia
University (1904-1979), Bochum/FRG 1980, p. 44.
6 Cf. Don C(arlos) Seitz, Joseph Pulitzer. His Life and Letters, New York
1924, p. 461.
7 Richard Terrill Baker, A History of the Graduate School of Journalism,
Columbia University, New York 1954, p. 86.


XVII
sound reasoning, and power to influence public opinion..."®
When, in 1917, the Pulitzer Prize winners were announced for the
very first time the editorial award went to the New
Tribune.®

York

In his book on the Pulitzer Prize editorials,

Sloan

stated that "Joseph Pulitzer's chief concern in his New York
World centered on its editorial page." 1 ^ A category similar to
the Editorial Pulitzer Prize, entitled "Editorial Cartooning,"
was added in 1922 and was intended to honor graphic representations of editorials. 1 1 But only after World War II did the idea
win gradual recognition that the readership attributed increasing importance to personal, critical essays beyond the range of
politics - that is to say, to contributions on art, science,
etc. This became apparent when university journalism departments
took up teaching subject-matters of this kind. Gradually, courses on "Criticism" or "Critical Writing" were established to
train a rising generation of competent journalists in this field
as well, since it had previously been largely neglected by most

U.S. daily newspapers. 1 ^ The Graduate School of Journalism at
Columbia University was among the first educational

institutions

1

to offer courses like "Reviewing the Arts." ^
These intentions of teaching meant a consequent

continuation

of those efforts which were formerly promoted by the School of
Journalism at Columbia University by granting corresponding
Pulitzer Scholarships. Between 1917 and 1942, for instance,
already 22 music scholarships were awarded and between 1917 and
1959 no less than 38 art scholarships were granted. 1 4 Those
Pulitzer Art Scholarships were travel scholarships

"awarded

annually to a student selected by the National Academy of

8 Quoted from De Forest O'Dell, The History of Journalism Education in the
United States, New York 1935, p. 109.
9 Cf. Columbia University (Ed.), The Pulitzer Prizes, 1917-1991, New York
1991, p. 35.
10 H. David Sloan (Ed.), Pulitzer Prize Editorials. America's Best Editorial
Writing, 1917-1979, Ames/Iowa 1980, p. IX.
11 Cf. Dick Spencer III, Pulitzer Prize Cartoons. The Men and their Masterpieces, 2nd ed., Ames/Iowa 1953, pp. 3 ff.

12 Cf. John W. English, Criticizing the Critics, op. cit., p. 15.
13 Cf. Graduate School of Journalism, Columbia University (Ed.), Columbia
University Bulletin (New York), vol. 15/No. 13, August 19, 1981, p. 14.
14 Cf. John Hohenberg, The Pulitzer Prizes. A History of the Awards in
Books, Drama, Music, and Journalism, based on the private files over six
decades, New York - London 1974, p. 378.


XVIII

Columbia University in the City of New York | New York, Ν. Y.

10027

GRADUATE SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM

Building

Journalism

April 7, 1969

Professor John Hohenberg
Secretary o£ the Advisory Board on the Pulitzer Prizes
Graduate School of Journalism
Columbia University
Dear John:
The Pulitzer Committee on Critical Writing, consisting of
Professor Otto J. Brendel, Mrs. Emily Genauer, and the undersigned, met
on Thursday, April 3. We are able unanimously to recommend Mr. Jonathan

Fineberg for the 1969 prise in critical writing.
Unfortunately, we did not formally agree on an alternative
recommendation, in the event that Mr. Fineberg should prove to be unavailable. It was clear, however, that there were two candidates who
should be considered for second place. These were Mr. Douglas M. Davis
and Mrs. Phyllis Funke. If Mr. Fineberg proves to be unavailable, I
believe that the committee members could quickly be polled by telephone
and that it would not be impossible to reach agreement on an alternate.
The committee was also greatly impressed by the application of
Mr. Donald-David Logan, who is interested in architectural writing in
general and, more specifically, in why the nation's leading cultural
center has not benefited more from the work of our most creative architects. We suggest that Mr. Logan might be advised of the committee's
favorable reaction and urged to seek support for his project from
foundations and agencies currently concerned with architecture and city
planning. I am personally convinced that the Social Science Research
Council or some such body as the Urban Institute of Washington, D.C.,
would be likely to give Mr. Logan's project sympathetic consideration.
Sincerely,

W. Phillips Davison
WPD:jk
cc:

Mrs. Genauer
Professor Brendel

LETTER FROM PROFESSOR DAVISON TO PROFESSOR HOHENBERG


XIX
Design. The Pulitzer Board

(Advisory Board at that time) became

disenchanted with the selections of the Academy and there were
several years when the Board would not award the fellowship. As
a result of these problems, the Board voted in 1961 to discontinue the Art Fellowship and replace it with the Critical
Writing Fellowship with the following definition

for the award:

'An annual fellowship of $ 1,500 to assist an American student
of superior qualifications to prepare for a career in critical
writing on art or another cultural subject.' These
were given from 1962 to 1969 to the following
students: 1962 - Max Kozloff;
Julia Zaustinsky;
Jack Perkins;

fellowships

outstanding

1963 - Paul W. Schwartz;

1965 - Richard C. Kostelanetz;

1964 -

1966 - Billy

1967 - Phyllis Meras; 1968 - Lucy G. Rosenthal;

1969 - Jonathan Fineberg.·^ Although the Critical Writing
Fellowships were essentially open to any American student,

four

of the fellowship recipients' names can be found in the alumni
list of the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University: Meras

(class of 1954), Rosenthal

and Perkins

(1966).^·® However,

(1955), Schwartz

since 1970, no fellowships have

been granted in the field of "critical

writing."

"As a result of the discontinuance of the Pulitzer
in Critical Writing,

(1961),

a new journalism category

Fellowship

for

ι -ι η

'distinguished Criticism or Commentary
existing Pulitzer P r i z e s . J o h n

x

' was added" to the

Hohenberg remarks: "The new

prize for criticism was a long overdue recognition of the
growing importance of cultural affairs as a special field of
journalism. Only the wealthiest and most powerful

newspapers,

which included most of the large ones, could afford to maintain
their own critics in such varied fields as books and drama,
movies and television,

art and architecture,

and music... What

jurors and Advisory Board members hoped for was that the prizes
15 Information from Mrs. Robin Kuzen, Assistant to Administrator, The Pulitzer Prizes, Columbia University, New York, N.Y. in a letter to the
author, dated November 30, 1980.
16 Cf. Graduate School of Journalism, Columbia University (Ed.), The Alumni
Directory, New York 1975, Alphabetical Part.
17 For the prehistory of the two new categories cf. in detail Heinz-Dietrich
Fischer/Erika J. Fischer (Eds.), The Pulitzer Prize Archive, Vol. 5:
Social Commentary 1969-1989, Munich - London - New York - Paris 1991, pp.
XIX ff.
18 Columbia University (Ed.), The Pulitzer Prizes, op. cit., p. 32.


XX
for such critics would encourage younger newspaper people to go
in for critical writing in years to c o m e . " ^ This newly
established Pulitzer Prize comprised the tenth category among
the journalism awards and was defined as a prize "for distinguished criticism or c o m m e n t a r y . " ^ But since a criticism prize,
as well as a commentary prize, were awarded during the first two
years after the establishment of this prize, in 1972 it was
agreed to create two totally separate categories. Consequently,
the two prize categories "Commentary" and "Criticism" came into
b e i n g 2 1 which would henceforth occupy positions ten and eleven
within the Pulitzer Journalism Prize-system. 2 2 Each recipient
received a cash prize of 1,000 dollars, in addition to gaining
considerable professional and social prestige as a critic. In
order to keep the annual number of application texts to a somewhat manageable quantity, each entry was allowed to include a
maximum of ten articles.2·^
Considering the previously stated fact that in the early
seventies only a comparatively small number of American newspapers had full-time critics, the circle of potential prize winners seemed to be limited to major newspapers and their star
critics. In face of this basic constellation, Hohenberg stresses, "it was scarcely a surprise,

... that the initial prizes

for criticism" went to outstanding papers like the New York
Times, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch,
etc.

24

the Chicago

Sun-Times,

It is unknown as to how many exhibits from the field of

criticism were presented for review, in spring 1970, when the
selection process began. The jury report names "nearly 100
entries," though this refers to all submissions subsuming
articles from both fields of commentary and criticism, since
these formed a double category in the beginning, as stated
earlier. The members of the jury

(John R. Herbert, Paul A.

McKalip, Stuart R. Paddock Jr., John Seigenthaler and Joseph M.
19 John Hohenberg, The Pulitzer Prizes, op. cit., p. 306.
20 Advisory Board on the Pulitzer Prizes (Kd.), Nomination for a
Prize in Journalism, New York, nomination form of 1970/71.
21 Cf. Columbia University (Ed.), The Pulitzer Prizes, op. cit.,
22 Advisory Board on the Pulitzer Prizes (Ed.), Nomination for a

Prize in Journalism, New York, nomination form of 1973 ff.
23 Cf. award description etc. in Columbia University (Ed.), Plan
Award of the Pulitzer Prizes, New York 1991.
24 John Hohenberg, The Pulitzer Prizes, op. cit., p. 306.

Pulitzer
p. 32 ff.
Pulitzer
for the


XXI
Ungaro) already expressed in the beginning of their report their
discontent about having to judge completely different genres.
"As might have been expected," the report indicates,

"the

entries did range broadly over the whole spectrum of criticism
in specific areas of the arts to the traditional columns of commentary on public affairs. It was felt that for a 'specialist,'
a critic in whatever particular field of the arts or of our cultural milieu, to qualify for this particular award his work
would need to be outstanding and to show a broad, general focus
on his specific subject... We applied certain criteria to all
the entries: good writing, significance of the subject matter,
whether in the general political or cultural field, effectiveness and provocativeness, and contribution of the work to public
understanding... We see the possibility that, with the growing
'cultural explosion' and the development of more special talent
in that field of writing, the Advisory Board may well decide...
to establish another award for specialized critical writing.
In order to avoid the terminological dilemma of having to permanently distinguish between political commentary and articles

of cultural criticism, the jury used the terms "general commentary" and "specialized commentary" by the which criticism

was

meant. "In addition to... three in the general commentary
list," 2 ® it was stated in the report which had to deal equally
with both categories, "we would call attention especially to two
examples of exemplary work in the fields of special commentary:
The work of Ada Louise Huxtable, architecture critic,... and of
Jack Gould, television critic,... in that order, was selected by
our jury as the best work in the field of specialized commentary." 2 7 The first named, Ada L. Huxtable, classified by John
English as "champion of preservations causes throughout the
country," 2 ® had been characterized in the text accompanying the
New York Times entry as follows: "As she has been doing ever

25 John R. Herbert/Paul A. McKalip/Stuart R. Paddock Jr./John Seigenthaler/
Joseph M. Ungaro, Report of the Criticism or Commentary Jury, March 6,
1970, pp. 1 f.
26 Cf. Heinz-Dietrich Fischer/Erika J. Fischer (Eds.), The Pulitzer Prize
Archive, Vol. 5: Social Commentary..., op. cit., p. XXII.
27 John R. Herbert/Paul A. McKalip/Stuart R. Paddock Jr./John Seigenthaler/
Joseph M. Ungaro, Report..., op.cit., p. 1.
28 John W. English, Criticizing the Critics, op. cit., p. 200.


XXII
since she became the first architecture critic ever appointed by
a daily newspaper, Ada Louise Huxtable enfiladed the environmental battlefield in 1969 with a steady fire of comment directed
at the nation's builders, planners and public... Mrs. Huxtable
has concentrated on preservation, land use, community functions

and the utilization of bricks and mortar. Architecture, for her,
has taken on a much wider significance than mere buildings...
Her discussion of how neighborhoods are 'destroyed' by these
processes detailed the objections from the points of view of
esthetics and community and won warm approbation of a black
architects group in Harlem. Life is not all meat and presidios
and Mrs. Huxtable has maintained a steady flow of reviews of the
new structures that are changing the country's silhouette.
The Pulitzer Prize Advisory Board was also deeply impressed by
the outstanding work of Ada L. Huxtable and awarded her the
first Pulitzer Criticism Prize "for distinguished criticism"
during 1969. 30
After the members of the commentary/criticism jury (F. K.
Arthur Jr., Floyd Barger, Robert H. Giles, Robert L. Hudson and
Robert Mason) had agreed on a favorite in the field of commentary in the spring of 1 9 7 1 , t h e y added to their report the
following suggestion: "If the Advisory Board is willing again to
consider a separate prize for criticism, it (the jury) recommends Harold C. Schonberg, music critic of the New York Times,
who brings to his work a wide range of knowledge about the art,
a recognition of music as a social phenomenon and the sense of
thrill and magic found in the concert hall. He has indeed elevated the art of his criticism. The panel considers," so it was
said in the jury report," the inclusion of both criticism and
commentary in a single category too broad an approach, forcing a
choice between two different writing styles and treatments, a
mixture of apples and oranges. It recommends separate categories

29 Harrison E. Salisbury, Foreword to the Huxtable exhibit, undated (January
1970), p. 1.
30 Columbia University (Ed.), The Pulitzer Prizes, op. cit., p. 34.
31 Cf. Heinz-Dietrich Fischer/Erika J. Fischer (Eds.), The Pulitzer Prize
Archive, Vol. 5: Social Commentary..., op. cit., p. XXII.

XXIII

Ada Louise Huxtable,
architecture critic of
The New Yorklimes,
wins the first
Pulitzer Prize ever
awarded
for
J
i
^
L
j ^JiMA^A
A

" . . . I like buildings and
think of them as the cultural and historic roots
of a c i t y , " says Ada Louise Huxtable. And
it »hows.
As a colleague recently put
it. " . . . a r m e d with the facts, she delivers
blasts or bouquets with equal fervency and
conviction."
A native New Yorker. Mrs.
Huxtable was graduated from Hunter College
magna cum laude and went on to graduate

work in a n and ai-chitectural history at
New York University.
She studied contemporary
Italian architecture and design under a
Fulbright Scholarship in 1950. And on a
Guggenheim Fellowship in 1958. she studied
design and structural advances in American
architecture during the 18th, 19th and
20th centuries.
From 1946 to 19S0. Mrs.
Huxtable wa? assistant curator of architecture at New York's Museum of Modem A n .
As architecture critic of
The New York Times, Ada Louise Huxtable

become moi-e a w a r e of
—
j — in New York, but all
over the country.
" S h e often appears to be
one small woman standing firmly against
unwise demolition, powerful jioliticians and
vested financial interests," says a friend.
Which may be just one
reason why a 1970 Pulitzer Prize has been
awarded to Ada Louise Huxtable.

-the 36th Pulitzer award earned
by The NewY*kTimesand its staff.
More than any other newspaper.

[ S o u r c e :

Editor & Publisher

(New

Y o r k ) ,

V o l .

1 0 7 / N o .

2 0 ,

May

16,

1 9 7 0 ,

p .

1 0 . ]


XXIV
for each,"32 - a desire which had already been uttered by the
jury members the year before. For the criticism prize the jury
suggested Harold C. Schonberg, who saw "music as a much more
mysterious art than p o e t r y "

a n

d

whose merits had been descri-

bed to the Pulitzer jurors among other things by the following
recommendations of his newspaper: "His knowledge ranges wide and
he is not hesitant in passing it along... Mr. Schonberg's own
flair for words have resulted, in addition to critical writing,
in books and articles that other critics have called masterpieces of profiling because of the special insights he has brought
to bear on the lives and works of composers."34 The Advisory
Board was also convinced by the texts at hand and gave the prize
to Harold C. Schonberg "for his music criticism during
The jury members of 1972

1970."35

(Richard R. Campbell, Harold E. Mar-

tin, Paul A. Poorman, John C. Quinn and Miles E. Sines) still
had to deal with the same problems concerning the basic dilemma
of the double category commentary/criticism. "After reading 73
entries which ranged through local columns, human interest,
politics, Washington correspondence and theatre, art and architectural criticism," as it follows from the report, "the jury
found it impossible to judge

'comment' and 'criticism' against

one another." Thus, the Advisory Board suggested an award winner
for each of the two areas of commentary36

anc i

criticism, the

prize for the latter being awarded to Frank Peters Jr. of the
St. Louis

Post-Dispatch.

"Frank Peters, writing from a position

of expertise, does more than simply review musical performances, " the jury report continues. "His clear and effective
writing explains and examines the field of music in terms relevant to the musician and to the lay reader. He represents a high
example of the type of criticism in a specialized field which

32 F. K. Arthur Jr./Floyd Barger/Robert H. Giles/Robert L. Hudson/Robert
Mason, Report of the Criticism or Commentary Jury, undated (March 1971),
pp. 1 f.
33 Harold C. Schonberg, Does anybody know what a ir.usical idea is?, in: The
New York Times (New York), Vol. CXXV/No. 43,107, February 1, 1976,
section 2, p. D 17.
34 A. M. Rosenthal, Foreword to the Schonberg exhibit, undated (January
1971), p. 1.
35 Columbia University (Ed.), The Pulitzer Prizes, op. ext., p. 34.
36 Cf. Heinz-Dietrich Fischer/Erika J. Fischer (Eds.), The Pulitzer Prize
Archive, Vol. 5: Social Commentary..., op. cit., p. XXIV.

XXV
ο

η

newspapers should strive for." J /

In his newspaper's nomination

letter he was described in these words: "Frank Peters Jr. ...
ranges widely over his field... Writing critical reviews of musical events is only the tip of the iceberg for Peters. His
restless eye, inventive brain and common touch push him toward a
broader objective - to interest the general readership in musicmaking and inform them about it. Thus he has turned his attention not only to the musical ups and downs of the St. Louis
Symphony

(Orchestra) but equally to its
fight for survival
•3 Ο

against adverse economic currents..." J O The Advisory Board consented and gave the Pulitzer Prize for criticism to Frank

L.

Peters Jr. "for his music criticism during 1971.
The fact that "a prize was awarded in each field" of commentary and criticism during the first three awarding years, "led
to its establishment as two separate categories"

afterwards.^

So, for the first time in spring 1973, a special jury

(Norman

Cousins, Judith Crist, Ernest Cutts, Edwin D. Hunter and Paul G.
Manolis) was formed, which only had to deal with the entries for
the actual category "distinguished criticism." But even here immediate classification problems of another kind emerged, as the
jury report reads: "Category 11 specifies distinguished criticism. Yet several entries, many of them of considerable distinction, were set aside by the judges because, strictly speaking,
they had to be classified as reportage in the arts rather than
as criticism in the arts. Reportage in the arts is a legitimate
category and we can understand why editors believed certain
entries deserved recognition. Nonetheless, the judges felt obligated to observe the distinction. We respectfully commend to the
Advisory Board the desirability either of establishing a separate category for reportage in the arts or extending and clarifying the definition of eligibility in Category 11... Some
sharpening of the eligibility requirements," so the jury report
continued concerning the election problems, "may be useful in
37 Richard R. Campbell/Harold E. Martin/Paul A. Poorman/John C. Quinn/Miles
E. Sines, Report of the Criticism or Commentary Jury, March 10, 1972, p.

1.
38 Evarts A. Graham Jr., Accompanying letter to the Peters exhibit, January
26, 1972, p. 1.
39 Columbia University (Ed.)# The Pulitzer Prizes, op. cit., p. 34.
40 Ibid., p. 32.