Elaine Kendall

An author, journalist and playwright, Elaine Kendall has written four books of social history: The Upper Hand, an irreverent account of changing male/female roles; The Happy Mediocrity, an examination of American choices in architecture, food, clothing, manners and mores as they have developed over the centuries; Peculiar Institutions, an informal account of the development of women’s education from pre-revolutionary times to the present, and Seeing Europe Again: Confessions of a First World Traveler; a light-hearted comparison of European and American cultural attitudes.

Her articles about art, theater, travel and various aspects of the changing American scene have appeared in Harpers, The New York Times Magazine, Performing Arts, Horizon, American Heritage, Vogue, The Dramatist, Playbill, and many other national magazines. From 1974 to 1997, she was a weekly book columnist for The Los Angeles Times. Elaine Kendall has also written and collaborated on libretti and lyrics for musical plays produced in New York, California, Hawaii and Connecticut. An American Cantata is an adaptation of the late John Sanford’s chronicle of American women, and is available from Samuel French, Inc. The Would-be Diva is a musical comedy based upon the extraordinary life of the Polish-born beauty Ganna Walska. Isadora is a musical drama about Isadora Duncan, and Kendall’s 2003 show is Cole & Will: Together Again, a unique revue melding Cole Porter’s memorable lyrics to appropriate moments from 15 Shakespearean dramas and comedies.

Elaine Kendall is a member of The Authors Guild, The Dramatists Guild, and ASCAP.