Barry, Philip

Related Category: American Literature: Biographies

1896–1949, American dramatist, b. Rochester, N.Y., grad. Yale, 1919, and studied under George Pierce Baker at Harvard. He is primarily known for his satirical, somewhat unconventional comedies of manners, such as Holiday (1928), Tomorrow and Tomorrow (1931), The Animal Kingdom (1932), and The Philadelphia Story (1939). His serious, symbolic plays—Hotel Universe (1930) and Here Come the Clowns (1938)—are clouded with mystical overtones. Barry's last play, Second Threshold, left unfinished at his death, was completed by Robert Sherwood and produced in 1951.