John Heilpern is the author of the classic book about theater "Conference of the Birds: The Story of Peter Brook in Africa "and of "How Good is David Mamet, Anyway?," a collection of his theater essays and reviews. Born in England and educated at Oxford, his interviews for "The Observer "(London) received a British Press Award. In 1980 he moved to New York, where he became a weekly columnist for "The Times "of London. An adjunct professor of drama at Columbia University, he is drama critic for the "New York Observer.
