Hilton Als

Hilton Als is an American writer, theater critic, and curator whose incisive and deeply personal criticism has profoundly shaped contemporary discourse on race, gender, sexuality, and art. A staff writer and former theater critic for The New Yorker, he is celebrated for blending memoir, cultural analysis, and sharp critical insight. His acclaimed works, including the book The Women and his Pulitzer Prize-winning columns, explore the complexities of identity and performance in American culture.

Early life and education

Born and raised in Brooklyn, Als was immersed from a young age in the vibrant cultural landscapes of New York City. He attended Saint Ann's School in Brooklyn Heights, an institution known for its strong arts program. He later studied at Columbia University, though he left before completing a degree to pursue writing. His early intellectual formation was deeply influenced by the works of authors like James Baldwin and Truman Capote, as well as by the downtown Manhattan art and performance art scenes of the 1970s and 1980s.

Career

Als began his professional career writing for publications such as The Village Voice and Vibe, where he developed his distinctive voice. He joined the staff of The New Yorker in 1994, initially as a staff writer, and later served as its theater critic from 2012 to 2023. Beyond his written work, Als has been an influential curator, organizing exhibitions for institutions like the Studio Museum in Harlem and The Art Institute of Chicago. He has also taught at Berkeley, Smith College, and Yale University, and served as the Bard College Center for Curatorial Studies Visiting Critic.

Writing and criticism

Als's writing is characterized by its lyrical intensity and its refusal to separate the personal from the critical. His 1996 book The Women is a seminal work that examines the lives of his mother, a Sri Lankan immigrant; Dorothy Dean, a social figure; and the author Owen Dodson, exploring themes of gender, autobiography, and racial identity. As a theater critic for The New Yorker, he applied this same interdisciplinary lens, analyzing productions by playwrights like Suzan-Lori Parks and Young Jean Lee while contextualizing them within broader social histories. His criticism often engages with the work of visual artists such as Alice Neel, Peter Hujar, and Nan Goldin.

Awards and recognition

Als has received numerous prestigious awards for his contributions to arts criticism and literature. In 2017, he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism for his "bold and original reviews that engaged with Broadway while also exploring the larger world of theatre." The previous year, he won the Windham–Campbell Literature Prize in the non-fiction category. Other notable honors include a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2000, the George Jean Nathan Award for Dramatic Criticism, and the Harold D. Vursell Memorial Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. In 2023, he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Personal life

Als has been open about how his experiences as a gay man and as a Black American of Barbadian and Sri Lankan descent inform his worldview and work. He maintains a residence in Manhattan and is known for his close associations with figures in the art and literary worlds. His friendships and professional collaborations with artists like the painter Celeste Dupuy-Spencer and the late photographer David Wojnarowicz have been influential. Als continues to be a prominent voice in cultural criticism, contributing regularly to The New Yorker and engaging in curatorial projects.

Category:American critics Category:Pulitzer Prize winners Category:American essayists Category:1960 births Category:Living people