Republic of Dreams - by Ross Wetzsteon (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

A richly woven history of Greenwich Village's Golden Age and of the artists, rebels, and eccentrics who make the Village a cultural phenomenon. Ross Wetzsteon presents a vibrant portrait of the Village through the remarkable and often interrelated stories of its legendary residents, including Eugene O'Neill; Edna St. Vincent Millay; Dawn Powell; the fiery and passionate anarchist Emma Goldman; the pioneering advocate of birth control, Margaret Sanger; and the group of Abstract Expressionists including Jackson Pollock.

Review Quotes

Houston Chronicle A deeply researched and beautifully wrought feast of information and poetics...a sort of Plutarch's Lives of...the obsessed pilgrims who founded the Republic of Dreams.

Los Angeles Times Book Review A sweeping yet intimate history of America's most famous neighborhood.

Los Angeles Times Book Review Anyone who cares about American culture should read Republic of Dreams.

Newsday Wetzsteon's rich, amusing, inspired history is pure Technicolor...and gives the 21st century reader an unparalleled introduction to America's first true bohemia.

The New Yorker Wetzsteon...incisively dissects the contradictions and conflicts...inherent in Village life. But he also evokes its energy and its sense of immense possibility.

About the Author

Ross Wetzsteon was a contributing editor at The Village Voice for thirty-two years and served as the chairman of the Village Voice Obie Committee. He edited two drama collections and wrote for a variety of publications, including The New York Times and New York magazine. He died in 1998.