{"product_id":"stephen-sondheim-daniel-okrent-9780300270211","title":"Stephen Sondheim: Art Isn't Easy","description":"\u003cb\u003eA revelatory look at the complex inner world of one of the twentieth century's most beloved theatrical composers\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Stephen Sondheim (1930-2021) was a towering figure in American musical theater. Celebrated for his iconic Broadway shows such as \u003ci\u003eCompany\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eSweeney Todd\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eInto the Woods\u003c\/i\u003e, his accolades include eight Tony Awards, multiple Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, and a Pulitzer Prize. In this intimate biography, Daniel Okrent follows Sondheim through the tumult of his upbringing and his parents' divorce, his acquaintance with Oscar Hammerstein II and subsequent discovery of musical theater, and his rise to fame as both a lyricist and composer. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Okrent shines new light on Sondheim's tormented emotional life, wavering self-confidence, and alcoholism, drawing on the artist's intimate correspondence with such notable figures as Hal Prince, Leonard Bernstein, and Arthur Laurents; exclusive interviews with his close friends and collaborators, including James Lapine and John Weidman; and Sondheim's own oral history, which remained closed until his death. As Okrent explores the ways Sondheim's music and lyrics express the inner man, he reveals a life that was defined by two parallel arcs: the movement from alienation to connection, and from ambivalence to resolution.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Daniel Okrent\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0300270216\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780300270211\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Yale University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 03\/17\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 320\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover","brand":"Daniel Okrent","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":47244418416895,"sku":"9780300270211","price":35.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_45934818-8c72-4368-aa0e-a5e039358c99.jpg?v=1758135696","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/stephen-sondheim-daniel-okrent-9780300270211","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}