Alan Dale (1861-1928) was an English theatre critic, playwright, and novelist. Born Alfred J. Cohen in Birmingham, England, Dale moved to New York in 1887 and found work as a prominent theatre critic for the New York Evening World, New York Journal, and New York American, three prominent daily newspapers of the nineteenth century. Controversial for his frequently critical, often harsh reviews, Dale was a hit with readers and publishers while alienating himself from the theatre world. In addition to his criticism, he wrote four novels, including A Marriage Below Zero (1889), which is considered one of the earliest representations of homosexual romance in mainstream English literature.
