born July 4, 1905, New York, N.Y., U.S.
died Nov. 5, 1975, New York, N.Y.
U.S. literary critic and teacher.
He taught at Columbia University from 1931 until his death. His collections of literary essays include The Liberal Imagination (1950), Beyond Culture (1965), Sincerity and Authenticity (1972), and Mind in the Modern World (1972). He was one of the best-known American literary critics of his time. His wife was the critic and writer Diana Trilling (190596).