| Occupation Journalist Role Journalist | Name Janet Maslin Children 2 Employer The New York Times | |
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| Born August 12, 1949 (age 66) (1949-08-12) New York City Known for Film and literary criticism Spouse Benjamin Cheever (m. 1981) Similar People Benjamin Cheever, Michiko Kakutani, Dwight Garner, Vincent Canby, A O Scott | ||
Education University of Rochester | ||
Alec baldwin in conversation with janet maslin
Janet R. Maslin (born August 12, 1949) is an American journalist, best known as a film and literary critic for The New York Times. She served as the Times' film critic from 1977 to 1999.
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Biography
Maslin graduated from the University of Rochester in 1970, with a B.A. degree and a major in mathematics. She began her career as a rock music critic for The Boston Phoenix and Rolling Stone.
Maslin was the long-time film critic for The New York Times, serving from 1977 to 1999. Her film criticism career, including her embrace of American independent cinema, is discussed in the documentary film For the Love of Movies: The Story of American Film Criticism (2009). In the film Entertainment Weekly critic Lisa Schwarzbaum recalls the excitement of having a woman as the lead reviewer at The New York Times.
Maslin continues to review books for The New York Times. Among the best-known of her reviews is the 2011 essay on the widowed Joyce Carol Oates' memoir, A Widow's Story, which was widely discussed.