STEPHEN SONDHEIM:
Art Isn’t Easy

By Daniel Okrent

Daniel Okrent’s first book since the prize-winning THE GUARDED GATE reveals previously unexamined aspects of both the life and the work of the revolutionary Broadway genius — and the seen and unseen connections between them. Based on exclusive interviews with Sondheim’s collaborators and friends (including James Lapine and John Weidman), as well as on deep archival research in the letters of Leonard Bernstein, Arthur Laurents, Hal Prince, Mary Rodgers and many others, STEPHEN SONDHEIM: ART ISN’T EASY traces the twin arcs that defined Sondheim’s life: from alienation to connection, and from ambivalence to resolution.

“An INDISPENSABLE supplement to our understanding of a musical theater giant.”

―Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Packed between the covers of this slim volume is THE STEPHEN SONDHEIM I KNEW, evoked with insight, empathy, and elegance. A powerful and compelling read.”

―John Weidman, librettist, Pacific Overtures, Assassins, and Road Show

“In this compact, DENSELY PLEASURABLE life of Stephen Sondheim, Daniel Okrent has achieved the remarkable feat of bringing to fresh life an endlessly chronicled subject in a compellingly readable and authoritative way.”

—James Kaplan, author of Irving Berlin

“An INTRICATE, ELEGANT tour through the life and psyche of an uneasy genius. Okrent’s book is stuffed with new matter and fascinating insights even for specialists like me.”

—Laurie Winer, author of Oscar Hammerstein II and the Invention of the Musical