in ars , ▁and ▁a ▁Ph . D . ▁from ▁Pr inc eton ▁University . ▁ ▁Currently , ▁he ▁lives ▁in ▁New ▁York ▁City , ▁where ▁he ▁is ▁Dist ingu ished ▁Professor ▁of ▁English ▁at ▁the ▁City ▁University ▁of ▁New ▁York ▁Gr adu ate ▁Center . ▁He ▁is ▁Jewish . ▁ ▁Crit ical ▁work ▁ ▁In ▁Boston ▁Review , ▁Stef ania ▁He im ▁wrote ▁that ▁Ko esten baum ' s ▁work ▁— ac ross ▁genre — ▁" ob liter ates ▁any ▁v estig ial ▁divide ▁we ▁might ▁hold ▁on ▁to ▁between ▁play ▁and ▁thought . ▁It ▁revel s ▁in ▁and ▁broadcast s ▁the ▁ris ks ▁and ▁jo ys ▁( ▁the ▁ris ky ▁jo ys ▁and ▁joy ful ▁ris ks ) ▁inher ent ▁in ▁both ." ▁Ko esten baum ' s ▁r haps od ic ▁criticism — cont aining ▁aut obi ographical ▁as ides , ▁and ▁character ized ▁by ▁an ▁analyt ic ▁attention ▁to ▁small ▁details , ▁an ▁approach ▁inde bt ed ▁to ▁Roland ▁Bar thes ' s ▁theory ▁of ▁the ▁" p unct um " — focus es ▁on ▁celebr ity , ▁performance , ▁poet ics , ▁film , ▁contemporary ▁visual ▁art , ▁and ▁que er ▁sexual ity . ▁His ▁best - known ▁critical ▁book , ▁The ▁Queen ' s ▁Th ro at , ▁is ▁a ▁rig orous ▁expl oration ▁of ▁a ▁phenomen on ▁frequently ▁discussed ▁cas ually ▁but ▁s eld om ▁considered ▁from ▁a ▁scholar ly ▁view point : ▁the ▁pred ile ction ▁of ▁gay ▁men ▁for ▁opera . ▁ ▁Ko esten