Anatole Broyard
A literary critic for The New York Times who crafted a dazzling public persona, concealing a personal history that would redefine his legacy.
1920–1990 (age 70)·American writer·Birthday: July 16·The Greatest Generation
Biography
Anatole Broyard lived a life built around sentences—writing them, judging them, and ultimately being defined by the ones he left out. For nearly fifteen years, his witty, erudite reviews in The New York Times Book Review set the tone for literary conversation in America. He wrote with a conversational flair that felt both intellectual and accessible, a voice that seemed to embody a certain New York cosmopolitanism. But Broyard guarded a secret that shaped his entire existence: though he passed as white in his professional and social life, he was a Black man born to a Creole family in New Orleans. This deliberate, agonizing choice, driven by the rigid racial barriers of mid-century America, allowed him entry into a world that would have been otherwise closed. After his death, the revelation of his hidden identity transformed public perception of his work, framing him as a complex figure whose entire career was a profound, personal commentary on race, identity, and the masks people wear.
The Greatest Generation
1901–1927
Grew up during the Depression, fought World War II, and built the postwar economic boom. Defined by shared sacrifice, institutional trust, and a belief that hard work and loyalty would be rewarded.
Anatole was born in 1920, placing them squarely in The Greatest Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Anatole Was Born
The biggest hits of 1920
#1 Movie
Way Down East
Anatole's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1920Born
Women gain the right to vote in the US
Home: $3,395President: Woodrow Wilson"Swanee" — Al Jolson
1925Started school
The Scopes Trial debates evolution in schools
Home: $4,366President: Calvin Coolidge"Sweet Georgia Brown" — Ben Bernie
1933Became a teenager
FDR's New Deal launches; Prohibition ends
Gas: $0.18/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stormy Weather" — Ethel WatersBest Picture: Cavalcade
1936Could drive
Jesse Owens wins four golds at the Berlin Olympics
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"The Way You Look Tonight" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: The Great Ziegfeld
1938Could vote
Kristallnacht and the escalation toward WWII
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $2,850Min wage: $0.25/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Begin the Beguine" — Artie ShawBest Picture: You Can't Take It with You
1941Turned 21
Pearl Harbor attack brings the US into WWII
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,060Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Chattanooga Choo Choo" — Glenn MillerBest Picture: How Green Was My Valley
1950Turned 30
Korean War begins
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,354Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Goodnight Irene" — Gordon Jenkins & The WeaversBest Picture: All About Eve
1960Turned 40
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1970Turned 50
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1980Turned 60
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1990Turned 70
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
Key Achievements
- Served as a daily book critic and later an editor for The New York Times, influencing American literary taste for decades.
- Published a critically acclaimed memoir, 'Kafka Was the Rage', about Greenwich Village intellectual life in the 1940s.
- His posthumously revealed story became a central case study in discussions of racial passing and identity in America.
Did You Know?
He owned and operated a bookstore in Greenwich Village called The Pauper before his journalism career.
He was drafted into the U.S. Army during World War II and served as a medic.
His daughter, Bliss Broyard, wrote a family memoir, 'One Drop: My Father's Hidden Life', exploring his secret.
He was married to the photographer Sandra Broyard.
“To be able to write a sentence with the right rhythm, to find the word that is *le mot juste*, is a pleasure that makes up for a great deal of misery.”
