'Lionel Trilling was not only a subtle critic but an elusive and Protean writer. John Rodden has brought together a comprehensive collection of reviews and essays, with a thoughtful introduction, that not only traces the arc of Trilling's reputation but sheds light on many significant facets of his work. For anyone interested in Trilling, this is an indispensable book' - Morris Dickstein, author of "Gates of Eden: American Culture in the Sixties". 'This is a terrific book - smart, generous, kind. The tone and the pacing of the introduction give a sense that I have not received elsewhere about Lionel' - Gerald Stern, author of "This Time: New and Selected Poems". 'Trilling is due for a revival and this fair and balanced collection will help a great deal' - Mark Krupnick, author of "Lionel Trilling and Cultural Criticism". 'A valuable collection distinguished by its attention to detail and its comprehensive scope' - William Cain, Wellesley College. "Lionel Trilling and the Critics" provides a comprehensive portrait of Lionel Trilling, perhaps the most influential American cultural critic of the twentieth century.
The contributors are a who's who of Anglo-American intellectuals from the 1930s through the 1970s. They include Edmund Wilson, Robert Penn Warren, F. R. Leavis, Leslie Fiedler, R. W. B. Lewis, R. P. Blackmur, Irving Howe, Irving Kristol, Raymond Williams, Norman Podhoretz, Gertrude Himmelfarb, William Barrett, Bruno Bettelheim, Gerald Graff, and Cornel West. John Rodden is the author of "The Politics of Literary Reputation: The Making and Claiming of 'St. George' Orwell".

Foreword by: Morris Dickstein