The plural noun glitterati (also gliterati) designates the celebrities of the fashionable literary and show-business world.

This noun is a blend of:
– glitter, used figuratively, of persons, in the sense: (to make) a brilliant appearance or display;
– literati, denoting intellectuals.

—Cf. also the plural noun wokerati, designating people, regarded as elitist and pretentious, who are alert to racial or social discrimination and injustice.

The earliest occurrences of the plural noun glitterati (also gliterati) that I have found are as follows, in chronological order:

1-: From The Voice of Broadway, by the U.S. columnist Dorothy Kilgallen (1913-1965), published in the Trenton Evening Times (Trenton, New Jersey, USA) of Wednesday 11^th October 1944:

Manhattan Glitter: Gertrude Niesen cooing at her new billing—ABOVE the “Follow the Girls” title. . . . Jinx Falkenberg reminding the midnighters of Santa-time—in a Christmas red coat trimmed with white fur. . . . Lupe Velez dazzling first nighters with the Hat of the Week—a baby blue trylon and perisphere effect—at the opening of “Soldier’s Wife.” . . . Mervyn LeRoy explaining the World Series plays to the boys at the Barberry Room. . . . Mildred Bayley and Red Norvo doing the swing spots with their protege, singsation Terry Allen. . . . Jane Withers and Gene Barry, her leading man, holding hands at LaMartinique. . . . Clifton Fadiman of the literati and Maria Montez of the glitterati enlivening the dinner session at the Chateaubriand. . . . Newscaster Ben Grauer peering into some old Spanish novels in a Sixth Avenue book shop. . . . Kate Ellen Murtah, of the wacky sister trio, who paints her fingernails red, white and blue!

2 to 7-: From Notes of an Innocent Bystander, by the U.S. columnist Walter Winchell (1897-1972):

2-: Published in The Augusta Chronicle (Augusta, Georgia, USA) of Monday 16^th July 1945:

The Gliterati: Farrar & Rhinehart are readying a book showing up the erratum and misinfo in Hitler’s “Mein Kampf.” The writer is a prof. of political science, Dr. Wm. Ebenstein. . . Doubleday-Doran’s next novel by Ernest Booth is christened “With Sirens Screaming.” Most big-time publishers bid for it when the colyum itemed its preparation four years ago. . . Mrs. Thurston Clarke (Nancy Bruff), a socialite, is a busy woman. Her initial book, “The Manatee,” comes out in Oct. Her book of poems, “Fox-Fire Gleaming” (also via E. P. Dutton), is due in Nov., and then (after seven years of marriage) her first-born is due. . . George W. Hartmann, head of “Peace Now” (shoved hard by many high-class magazines and newspapers, et al), has thrown a libel suit at all of them, including this dep’t. The items we used (that he objects to) were from his own speeches. World-fer-woid. . . In Simon & Schuster’s “One American” by Frazier Hunt (published in 1938), the cover has some of “the great men Mr. Hunt touched hands with”. . . Among the “great men” is the very late A. Hitler. . . On the same page is the statement: “The author doesn’t treat them as headlines, but as human beings”. . . When that photo mag sends a man to the war zones he is insured for $50,000 (via Lloyd’s, we think), the coin paid to his family if killed, etc.

3-: Published in The North Adams Transcript (North Adams, Massachusetts, USA) of Saturday 28^th July 1945:

The Gliterati: “Murder at the Stork Club” is the name of Vera Caspery’s next book. The story will run in Good Housekeeping (in three sections), after which Harper’s will put it between covers. Her last movie hit was “Laura” . . . In the murder yarn real names are used—except for the murder victim, said to be patterned after S. Hannagan, the publicist . . . Brock (“The Magnificent Heel”) Pemberton probably doesn’t recall that the title for that opus was used by S. Raphaelson a few seasons ago on a play later named “Jason.” The central character was “the most famous of the dramatic critics.” The new play, they allege, deals with a “composite cosmic columnist” . . . “The Front Page,” if memory serves, was the last of the big hits about reporters and editors . . . Many others about columnists failed . . . “Blessed Event” was a hit on the screen, not the Broadway stage, where it lingered only a few months.

4-: Published in The Scrantonian (Scranton, Pennsylvania, USA) of Sunday 2^nd September 1945:

The Gliterati: J. Brooks Atkinson won’t resume drama-reviewing in New York for at least two years, during which time he and his wife will cover Moscow . . . R. Lockridge will not resume aisle-sitting . . . John Mason Brown, another drama critics [sic] (recently inactivated from the Navy as was Lockridge), will write a book for his children “as there are so few good ones!” . . . F. Hugh Herbert wrote the big show hit, “Kiss and Tell,” just to amuse his children. Made a fortune . . . Actress Julie Haydon’s first book, “Every Dog Has His Day,” due Oct. 15^th, starts with a 10,000 printing . . . George Jean Nathan got that mahogany tan up at the manse of the Wm. Curleys at New Canaan, Conn. Speaking of Clare Luce, he said: “Her friends and other enemies.”

5-: Published in The Augusta Chronicle (Augusta, Georgia, USA) of Monday 10^th September 1945:

The Gliterati: Margaret Case Harriman, the word-magician, relays one by Kipling in his verse, “Soldier an’ Sailor Too” . . . “E’s a sort of a bloomin’ cosmopolouse” . . . Eugene O’Neill and the Mrs. forsake San Francisco next Spring for Sea Island, Ga., where he will build their new house . . . Sean O’Casey’s long delayed play, “Purple Dust,” was snubbed by U. S. producers (and Clare Luce, who said it should be hissed) because of the familiar “Irish challenge to England.” Sowot? So it is to be produced in London at the Old Vic.! . . . Brock (The Magnificent Heel) Pemberton is producing a play lampooning New Deal columnists . . . This doesn’t surprise those who recall that Pemberton was among the first organizers of a famous flop committee: “Landon for President.”

6-: Published in The Scrantonian (Scranton, Pennsylvania, USA) of Sunday 16^th September 1945:

The Gliterati: When Ben Hecht phoned Vincenzo Celli, the balleteacher, and offered him the lead in Hecht’s play on Nijinsky, Celli replied: “You’ve telephoned me 10 years and 20 pounds too late!” . . . Judy Canova asked a movie star: “Is it true that you are very conceited?” . . . “No, it is not,” was the retort. “I am one genius who isn’t!” . . . The underworld refers to those two cops in the radio cars as “The Dolly Sisters” . . . Goering’s notorious guest book contains the autographs of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor—in Heiny lingo, no less! The Dook’s is written out: “Herzogin von Windsor” and hers is “Wallis Herzogin von Windsor.” All of which fits into the picture they posed for with Hitler in 1938 giving the Nazi salute. Good riddance to them both—the snobs . . . Arthur Rubinstein got $85,000 for recording the piano music you will hear in Frank Borzage’s film, “Concerto” . . . Scripter Ketti Frings registered a story on the atom bomb, pals say, about 5 years ago with the Screen Writers’ Guild. The title is: “Beyond Tomorrow” . . . You mean J. Edgar Hoover was caught napping? . . . Clark Kinnaird’s new book, “This Must Not Happen Again,” is packed with war photos that should be looked at and stared at whenever any Generals talk soft peace for the Japastards . . . Best line in Earl Wilson’s portrait of a columnist in a midget mag: “He imitates nobody but has been imitated by everybody” . . . What’s that a scoop? Add literary notes: The essay by Justice Frank Murphy of the High Court, which appeared in this column, was reprinted in the Congressional Record of Sep. 11^th.

7-: Published in The Scrantonian (Scranton, Pennsylvania, USA) of Sunday 14^th October 1945:

The Gliterati: Litree critic Orville Prescott describes Maj. Gen. J. F. C. Fuller as “a conservative” . . . A what? This reporter proved Fuller is as Nazi as a swastika . . . The Oxford Dictionary defines an atom as “a body too small to be divided.” Oop! . . . Here’s a startler: In 1939 Gen. MacArthur said that the Philippines were in no danger of attack from Japan . . . Correspondent Raymond Daniell’s shocking exposes of soft-peacing in Naziland make a down payment on a Pulitzer Prize . . . Add whacks museum exhibits: A newspaper letter writer calls the A-bomb a New Deal plot to provide cheap power and undermine free enterprise . . . Isolationist John T. Flynn turns out propaganda blaming FDR for Pearl Harbor. He once blabbed: “There is no doubt that Russia is reeling toward defeat.” Which shows you how much he knows . . . So you think writing is a cinch? A science editor (J. J. O’Neil) dropped nine lbs. while penning “The Almighty Atom” (Washburn). He turned out 100,000 words in three week [sic] in order to meet a publisher’s deadline . . . Q. Reynolds, with all his influence in London, had to wait three weeks to get home and then took a liner instead of a plane.