Laurence, Dan H. 1920-2008 (Daniel Hyman Goldstein)

OBITUARY NOTICE—

See index for CA sketch: Born March 28, 1920, in Bronx, NY; died February 5, 2008, in San Antonio, TX. Educator, literary advisor, actor, editor, and author. Laurence's passion in life was the work of playwright and author George Bernard Shaw, and he devoted his career to uncovering and publishing every document, however obscure, that contained the author's words. It led to a very long career, for Shaw was an unusually prolific correspondent, critic, and commentator. Laurence taught English at New York universities in the 1950s and 1960s, then moved south in 1970 to delve into the Shaw archive held by the University of Texas at Austin. In 1973 he became the literary advisor to the Shaw estate, an appointment that he held with only minor absences until 1990. In the 1980s Laurence also served as a literary advisor, member of the directorial staff, and member of the acting ensemble of the annual Shaw Festival held in Niagara Falls, Ontario, and he lectured as a visiting professor at several Canadian universities. Laurence's dedication to Shaw's work was tireless and lasting. Aside from occasional writings about Shaw and the Festival, Laurence compiled no less than a dozen massive collections of Shaw's words, much of it previously unpublished, and often divided by subject matter such as music criticism, letters to the editor, book prefaces, and facsimile play manuscripts. Shaw's personal correspondence alone filled several volumes with thousands of letters. Laurence's work on Shaw is considered definitive and his scholarship unparalleled, according to his critics. Laurence produced little other work, but he did publish bibliographies of the work of Henry James and Robert Nathan before committing himself exclusively to the Shaw correspondence.

OBITUARIES AND OTHER SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

New York Times, February 10, 2008, p. A26.