330:, later remarked about Cohen's Communist affiliation: "During the years he was a member, he was a rebel against certain postulates held by the party. He was not in favor of democratic centralism, particularly in the matter of art. He felt a writer should be given a chance to explore and write freely what he thinks and sees, rather than follow the party line. Nathan was, in nature, a rebel, even. when he was in the Communist Party." Cohen likely quit the party around 1947.
272:. Cohen had three siblings: two older sisters born in Poland, and a younger brother. Cohen was the first boy and member of his family to be born in Canada. As a child, he read persistently in the backroom of his parents' grocery store, where he developed a love for science fiction, comics, and novels. He graduated from
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two years later, becoming the paper's entertainment editor and remaining there until his death. Cohen was known for his integrity as a critic and did not hesitate to give negative reviews, breaking with the common critical practices of the time which consisted mostly of uncritical praise. He was
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for a semester, but returned to Nova Scotia without graduating. He found employment as a journalist, in effect becoming a one-man show, by editing, reporting, typesetting and publishing the
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supported newspapers. In 1948, he became the
Theatre critic for CBC Radio. When CBC began television broadcasts in the 1950s, Cohen became one of their first talk show hosts. He joined
207:(16 April 1923 – 26 March 1971) was a Canadian theatre critic and broadcaster. Cohen was considered the country's only serious drama critic during the first two decades following
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High School, where he was heavily influenced by one of his
English teachers, William Mould, who encouraged him to read Shakespeare. He entered
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to come up with tips for aspiring arts critics and he turned that into a
Toronto Star column "Rules for budding critics" in 1964.
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323:. He worked on its English-language section writing political articles, book reviews and then theatre reviews.
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215:, to an Eastern European Jewish immigrant family. He got his start in media when he was the editor of
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193:* Only for about two years (1945–47). In the 1960s he described himself as a left-leaning Liberal.
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In his later years, he suffered from heart disease caused by diabetic complications, and died at
268:'s major steel mill. His parents changed their name to Cohen from Kaplansky when they arrived in
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from 1953 to 1962. Cohen also worked for CBC Television in the 1950s as a script editor for the
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in
Toronto, a few hours after having open heart surgery in the early hours of 26 March 1971.
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219:'s student newspaper. After graduating from Mount Allison, he was the editor of the
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317:. He was also engaged as an editor of the Yiddish communist weekly newspaper, the
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Cohen, Nathan (26 February 1964). "Rules for budding critics (Revised
Version)".
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at age 16, and edited the university's student newspaper and yearbook.
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allangould.com (originally published in
Toronto Life magazine in 1981)
211:, the period when Canadian theatre became established. He was born in
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in 1959, and worked as its theatre critic until his death in 1971.
301:, a union-owned mass-published daily newspaper from 1942 to 1945.
643:"Star drama critic Nathan Cohen dies at 47 after heart surgery".
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and continued with CBC Radio conducting interviews on the show
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634:"Nathan Cohen: Toronto drama critic aided theatre growth".
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After he graduated from Mount
Allison, he studied law at
736:. Halifax: Atlantic Jewish Council. 2012. Archived from
661:"'Society treated me very well,' said Nathan Cohen".
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652:"Nathan Cohen: 'Canada's only real drama critic'".
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396:In the 1950s, he also published his own magazine,
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256:. His family were Jewish immigrants from Poland (
358:. Cohen received national prominence as host of
400:. Cohen began writing a theatre column for the
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364:, an intellectual, but popular panel show on
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755:"Homage to Cohen: Nathan Cohen Remembered"
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647:. Toronto. 26 March 1971. pp. 1, 3.
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16:Theatre critic, broadcaster, publisher.
730:"Historical Communities: Whitney Pier"
346:where, as a theatre critic, he hosted
665:. Toronto. 27 March 1971. p. 59.
656:. Toronto. 26 March 1971. p. 24.
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790:from the original on 20 October 2012
638:. Toronto. 26 March 1971. p. 5.
262:Dominion Steel and Coal Corporation
111:Canadian Broadcasting Corporation,
406:in 1957 and was hired away by the
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786:. Toronto: Historica Foundation.
716:from the original on 25 June 2014
710:Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
537:Cape Breton Jewish Community 2012
344:Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
248:Cohen was born and raised in the
688:from the original on 26 May 2024
326:Joe Gershman, the editor of the
230:in 1945 and wrote for various
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342:who recommended Cohen to the
130:Arts criticism/TV Broadcaster
734:Cape Breton Jewish Community
338:He came to the attention of
854:Jewish Canadian journalists
443:Library and Archives Canada
166:Gloria Cohen (née Brontman)
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226:. He permanently moved to
784:The Canadian Encyclopedia
761:. Toronto. Archived from
591:CBC Digital Archives 2012
439:Nathan Cohen fonds (R790)
415:Canadian University Press
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839:Canadian theatre critics
778:Gould, Allan M. (2012).
334:CBC Radio and Television
278:Mount Allison University
260:) that settled near the
217:Mount Allison University
86:Mount Allison University
68:Toronto, Ontario, Canada
311:Labor-Progressive Party
305:Labor-Progressive Party
295:Osgoode Hall Law School
182:Honorary Doctors of Law
156:Labor-Progressive Party
663:The Toronto Daily Star
654:The Toronto Daily Star
645:The Toronto Daily Star
627:The Toronto Daily Star
427:St. Michael's Hospital
375:General Motors Theatre
237:The Toronto Daily Star
120:The Toronto Daily Star
780:"Samuel Nathan Cohen"
753:Gould, Allan (1981).
421:Late career and death
348:Across the Footlights
141:The Glace Bay Gazette
819:Canadian art critics
706:CBC Digital Archives
678:"Nathan Cohen fonds"
356:CJBC Views the Shows
834:Toronto Star people
824:Canadian columnists
491:Globe and Mail 1971
284:Professional career
254:Sydney, Nova Scotia
213:Sydney, Nova Scotia
201:Samuel Nathan Cohen
50:Sydney, Nova Scotia
35:Samuel Nathan Cohen
671:Other online media
636:The Globe and Mail
579:Toronto Star 1971b
510:Toronto Star 1971a
476:Toronto Star 1971c
409:Toronto Daily Star
391:Toronto Daily Star
258:Pale of Settlement
829:Jewish socialists
682:archivescanada.ca
299:Glace Bay Gazette
289:Glace Bay Gazette
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100:Years active
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702:"Fighting Words"
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403:Toronto Telegram
387:Toronto Telegram
352:The Theatre Week
315:Canadian Tribune
158:(ca. 1945–1947)*
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77:Bachelor of Arts
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740:on 16 June 2013
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152:Political party
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82:Alma mater
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45:16 April 1923
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792:. Retrieved
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209:World War II
205:Nathan Cohen
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136:Notable work
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63:(1971-03-26)
25:Nathan Cohen
18:
849:1923 births
844:1971 deaths
769:4 September
708:. Toronto:
692:4 September
340:Mavor Moore
328:Vochenblatt
320:Vochenblatt
252:section of
108:Employer(s)
808:Categories
619:News media
603:Cohen 1964
562:Gould 1981
525:Gould 2012
449:References
398:The Critic
244:Early life
95:Journalist
92:Occupation
41:1923-04-16
794:19 August
744:19 August
370:anthology
222:Glace Bay
203:known as
147:TV Series
103:1942–1971
74:Education
788:Archived
714:Archived
686:Archived
171:Children
52:, Canada
372:series
270:Halifax
228:Toronto
224:Gazette
720:27 May
179:Awards
163:Spouse
454:Notes
380:Audio
187:Notes
796:2012
771:2011
746:2012
722:2024
694:2012
389:and
354:and
58:Died
31:Born
441:at
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