Lawrence J. Epstein

Lawrence Jeffrey Epstein (born 1946), is an American author who writes and lectures about American culture and society and Jewish life. He is best known for his book The Haunted Smile: The Story of Jewish Comedians in America. In an interview, Epstein described his intentions for the book, “I wanted to tell the story of Jewish comedians in America starting at the turn of the 20th century…Then I traced the history of the comedians through vaudeville, radio, movies, and tv…I was interested, for example, in how one generation of comedians influenced another. I got to go to a Friars Roast and go backstage at a comedy club. I also interviewed more than 70 people…I wanted to include the struggles Jewish comedians had, and the weight of their past.” [ cite web | url= http://www.caksociety.com/epstein.html | title= Caks Interview | ] Epstein is currently writing a book about folk singers from Woody Guthrie to Bob Dylan for Yale University Press. [ cite web | url= http://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/A2N8RON1NT1N9G | title= Amazon Profile | ] He writes regularly about Bob Dylan on The Best American Poetry blog. [ cite web | url= http://www.thebestamericanpoetry.typepad.com/the_best_american_poetry/ | title= The Best American Poetry | ]

Background

Epstein was born in New York City and raised there and in Sag Harbor, New York. His father was a merchant and Veterans’ Counselor. His mother was a photographer and housewife. He got a B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. from the University at Albany. From 1974 until 2008 he was a professor of English at Suffolk County Community College, where he also held jobs as Assistant Head of the Department of English and Chairperson of the Humanities Division.

Books

Among Epstein’s major books are:
*cite book | author=Lawrence J. Epstein|Epstein, Lawrence J.| title=Samuel Goldwyn| publisher=Twayne Publishers| year=1981 | id=ISBN 0805792821
*cite book | author=Lawrence J. Epstein|Epstein, Lawrence J.| title=A Treasury of Jewish Anecdotes| publisher= Jason Aronson| year=1989 | id=ISBN 0876688903
*cite book | author=Lawrence J. Epstein|Epstein, Lawrence J.| title=The Haunted Smile: The Story of Jewish Comedians in America| publisher= PublicAffairs| year=2001 | id=ISBN 1586481622
*cite book | author=Lawrence J. Epstein|Epstein, Lawrence J.| title=Mixed Nuts: America’s Love Affair With Comedy Teams From Burns and Allen to Belushi and Aykroyd| publisher= PublicAffairs| year=2004 | id=ISBN 1586481908
*cite book | author=Lawrence J. Epstein|Epstein, Lawrence J.| title=At the Edge of a Dream: The Story of Jewish Immigrants on New York’s Lower East Side, 1880-1920| publisher= Jossey-Bass| year=2007 | id=ISBN 0787986224

External links

* [http://www.hauntedsmile.com The Haunted Smile: The Story of Jewish Comedians in America.]
* [http://www.thebestamericanpoetry.typepad.com/the_best_american_poetry/ The Best American Poetry Blog]

References