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- A Wonderful Collection
- Hail, King Edward
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The Collected Plays Of Edward Albee: Volume 1 1958 - 1965
Edward Albee , and
The Overlook Press
Manufacturer: Overlook Hardcover
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The Collected Plays of Edward Albee: Volume 3 1978 - 2003
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ASIN: 1585675296 |
Book Description
Three-time Pulitzer Prize-winner and recipient of three Tony Awards, Edward Albee was awarded the Gold Medal in Drama from the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1980, and in 1996 he received both the Kennedy Center Honors and the National Medal of Arts. Ben Brantley of The New York Times has described him as “one of the few genuinely great living American writers.” Now, The Overlook Press is proud to announce publication of the first volume of a three-volume collection of all of this master's plays, some of which have been out of print for years.
Volume I contains the eight plays written by Albee during his first decade as a playwright, from 1958 through 1965. These range from the four brilliant one-act plays with which he exploded on the New York theater scene in 1958-59 (The Zoo Story, The Death of Bessie Smith, The Sandbox, and The American Dream) to his early masterpiece, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1961-62). They also include two adaptations from notable American novels (The Ballad of the Sad Café and Malcolm) and Albee's mysteriously fascinating Tiny Alice. The volume includes a new introduction by Mr. Albee.
Customer Reviews:
A Wonderful Collection.......2004-11-12
Being a huge fan of Albee's work, the thought of having all of his plays collected in handsome hardcovers is a cause for celebration. I devoured this first collection with delight, and wait excitedly for the future volumes to be released. I did notice, however, some typographical errors that were disappointing in such an otherwise well produced edition, and I hope the people at Overlook will take better care with the future volumes. That aside, one can plainly see even with this early work that Albee was destined for immortality as a playwright.
Hail, King Edward.......2004-10-09
It finally happened (again!) No one, absolutely no writer has been for years so deserving of a complete collection. The freshness of the language in these earlier works still hits you right on the head -- where most people deserve to be hit.
Amazing Plays.......2004-05-23
For those interested in the works of people like Harold Pinter and Tennessee Williams, Edward Albee is a must. The plays in this collection are for the most part, excellent and this is a must have for any student of modern theatre.
There is much more here than just Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? The Zoo Story, The American Dream and Tiny Alice are classics in their own right. I am looking forward to future volumes!
Book Description
The Nigerian writer Wole Soyinka has been hailed as `one of the finest poetic playwrights who have ever written in English' (Martin Esslin) and `a writer of genius' (Irish Times). The five plays in this collection are linked by their concern with the spiritual and the social, with belief and ritual as integrating forces for social cohesion. A Dance of the Forests (1960), a confrontation between the living and the dead, between history and reality; The Swamp Dwellers (1961), a tale of perilous dependence on the favour of the gods; The Strong Breed (1963), a play of expiation, all take place in Africa. So also does The Road (1965), `a rich and beautiful tragedy' (Times Literary Supplement) The most recent work, an adaptation of The Bacchae of Euripides (1973), remains set in and around the Thebes of ancient Greece, but draws deeply on Africa and the themes of the earlier plays in this book. In all these plays - whether concerned with the corruption of urban life or the power of superstition - Soyinka's language and imagination transcend the plays' immediate social contexts.
Customer Reviews:
Splendid.......2007-01-12
This, Volume 1 of the collected plays by Nigerian-born Wole Soyinka, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1986, contains, The Dance of the Forests, The Swamp Dwellers, The Strong Breed, The Road, and The Bacchae of Euripides (Soyinka's translation), but not The Lion and the Jewel, et al., as the Book Description by Amazon above mistakenly has it. Those plays are contained in Volume 2.
For this review I want to focus on The Road which Soyinka wrote in 1965. It is a quasi-realistic play which incorporates elements from the theater of the absurd. It is a comedy of sorts, not exactly a comedie noire, as the French say, but with similar satirical intent. It is also a deeply symbolic play.
The action comprises a single day, from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. The scene is a road-side shack presumably in Nigeria with a church close by, parts of which are also on stage. Part of the shack is a used parts store, and there is a dilapidated "mammy waggon" downstage and to the side opposite the church.
The central character is the PROFESSOR who stands for civilization and literacy. He has the power of the Word, and this power sustains him above his fellows. The PROFESSOR uses his literacy to forge documents such as driver's licenses. This too is part of his power. He is a contradictory character, and the Word is slippery and is not always an embodiment of the truth. The PROFESSOR stands in opposition to the Church and its Bishop.
SAMSON is the tout for the "No Danger, No Delay" lorry service. A tout is one who finds customers for the company, who seats them and maybe carries their luggage and flatters them. SAMSON is a practical man.
KOTONU is a driver who works with SAMSON. SALUBI is a driver trainee, a superstitious man. MURANO, whom Soyinka says represents the suspension of death, is a mute and personal servant to the PROFESSOR.
PARTICULARS JOE is a cop who always wants the "particulars" of the case. He apparently lives as much on the bribes he receives as he does on his salary. SAY TOKYO KID is the leader of the thugs and a driver.
The hangers-on and such serve as a musical and dancing chorus throughout the play. They sing dirges and act out tribal dances sometimes using the Mask which may hide the god of death, or as Soyinka has it, the Mask represents "a religious cult of flesh dissolution." Throughout there are references to Orgun, the tribal god of iron and war. During the Festival of the Drivers, there is the "Feast of Orgun, the Dog-eater" with the idea that the Road eats dogs that get in the way of the wheels of the lorries.
The characters in the play make their living from the road and its traffic. Some of them even chase after accidents and remove things of value from the vehicles--even the clothes of the dead--and sell them in the "Care of Accident Supply Store."
The central element is the road of course, the road like a river that runs through their lives and through their civilization, a road that lies flat and then, like a coiled snake, snaps up and brings to death by accident those who travel on its back. The road is also that which transforms the forest, as they take its timber, into the hard concrete and asphalt of the city. It is the road that transforms the life of the tribesman into that of the city dweller. One might compare the Road to the Way of the Taoists, but of course here the road is actively malicious. In a sense then this play is a religious allegory with the tension contained between the Road and the Word.
Soyinka's dialogue is in English with some Pidgin departures and with some vocabulary from the Yoruba language mixed in. Soyinka has a master's ear and an artist's touch with language. He has the characters at times talking past one another, each with his own concern, as in an absurdist play, and at other times he has them mouthing words of philosophic import. It is especially the PROFESSOR who waxes philosophical. He is a bit of a cynic who exclaims at one point, "Have you sold your soul for money? You lie like a prophet." He adds, "Truth? Truth? Truth my friend is scum risen on the froth of wine" reminding me of Pontius Pilate whom Sir Francis Bacon famously has asking, "What is truth?" and not staying for an answer.
PARTICULARS JOE, who was once a soldier, can also be philosophical, sometimes in an ironic way as when he declares "It is peaceful to fight a war which one does not understand, to kill human beings who never seduced your wife or poisoned your water." And there are jokes and witty sayings which Soyinka springs upon us by surprise from time to time. A nice exchange begins when PARTICULARS JOE pockets a coin that belongs to SAMSON that he finds in a crack on the floor:
SAMSON: That happens to be mine.
JOE [blandly]: That's O.K. Natural mistake on my part. Money has been left for me in more unlikely places believe me.
SAMSON: Well at least wait until I am back on the road before you collect tolls.
This inspires the PROFESSOR to ask JOE, How is the criminal world my friend?
JOE: More lucrative every day Professor.
PROFESSOR: Not for the criminal I trust.
JOE (with unintentional irony I presume): Oh no sir. That would only corrupt them.
One sees the influence of such absurdist playwrights as Samuel Beckett, Bertold Brecht and Eugene Ionesco in this play, but I believe Soyinka is both more realistic and funnier. He spent some part of his formative years in London where he was educated and worked in the theatre and where his first plays were produced. His mastery of the elements of the theater is obvious even from reading just this one play. I am looking forward to exploring more of Soyinka's work.
A Dance of the Forests.......2000-06-21
Although I was introduced to this book because of an english assignment, I became entranced by the book by the first 10 pages. And although it is confusing at times, and a teacher explaining the story as you go along is a signifigant help, the lyrical blend of Western experimentalism and African folk tradition is quite inebriating. If you are at all interested in African folk lore, this play is a must read for you. Wole Soyinka is one of the most respected play writers in all of Africa, and this is one of his best works.
Book Description
For over a decade, Hal Hartley's deadpan comedies and explorations of unlikely relationships of love and trust have been favorites with critics and indie film crowds alike. Gathered here in one volume for the first time are the screenplays for three of his most acclaimed films: The Unbelievable Truth, in which a young man returns home after serving time for murder; Trust, which follows a pregnant teen and the effect of her condition on her family; and Simple Men -- the film that first brought him widespread prominence -- in which two brothers go in search of their anarchist father.
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The Collected Letters of John Millington Synge: Volume 1: 1871-1907 (Collected Letters of John Millington Synge, 1871-1907)
John Millington Synge
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
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Binding: Hardcover
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20th Century
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ASIN: 0198126786 |
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- Lord Sihhe Wishes the Weather
- Political intrigues abound...
- Good things!
- I will not be buying anymore books in this series
- Superior Fantasy
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Fortress of Owls
C. J. Cherryh
Manufacturer: Eos
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Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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ASIN: 0061020087 |
Book Description
A new Galasien novel, the eagerly awaited sequel to Cherryh's acclaimed Fortress of Eagles and Fortress in the eye of Time.
A new high fantasy triumph continuing the amazing story of two friends, king and sorcerer, in an age of wizardry. The Galasien Books are a legend in the making, an epic saga of ancient magic and the power of destiny.
In the conflict between the shadowy immortals Mauryl and Hasufin, Tristen the Shaping and his sword are both weapons: Tristen was made by Mauryl, and the sword, which frightens Tristen, is made for magic.
Tristen has helped his friend Prince Cefwyn become King, and now he holds the stewardship of Amefel. But he will have to take up the sword and the ancient Sihhe magic he has forsworn, for he is destiny's own, a combatant whether he likes it or not in the fearsome conflict between darkness and light.
Download Description
"I Dreamed of Owl. That Means Wizardry is Near."
Tristen is a weapon in an ancient war between wizardry and sorcery. He is a summoning and a shaping, brought to life by a wizard. And his sword is a weapon as well. Its keen blade, marked Illusion on one side and Truth on the other, once helped Tristen win the throne of Ylesuin for the young king Cefwyn, gaining Tristen the stewardship of the brave country of Amefel.
Tristen's rule in Amefel is blessed with two extraordinary friends: one a stalwart and simple warrior, the other a young rebel with royal blood. But the scarlet banners of war are unfolding again, and far more than a kingdom is at stake. Now Tristen must take up the sword--as well as the Sihhë magic he has forsworn. He is destiny's own, created a combatant in a far older and more fearsome conflict than any ever imagined by mere mortal man. And he is about to do battle once more. . . .
Rich with magic, intrigue, and adventure, this high fantasy series from the acclaimed C. J. Cherryh brings to life an enchanting world as real as, yet far more wondrous, than our own.
Customer Reviews:
Lord Sihhe Wishes the Weather.......2007-05-21
Fortress of Owls (1999) is the third fantasy novel of the Fortress series, following Fortress of Eagles. In the previous volume, Tristen took Crissand's oath as Earl of Meiden and banished Cuthan of Bryn from Amefel. Emuin finally arrived at the Zeide a week later.
In Guelesfort, Brugan -- heir of Ryssand -- dared to accuse Ninevrise of infidelity and Cevulirn challenged him. After Brugan was slain in a fair fight, the Murandys guards came forward to arrest Cevulirn, but King Cefwyn offered to take the life of anyone who intervened. Still, Cefwyn had to send Cevulirn back to Ivanor for his own safety.
In this novel, Tristen visits Master Emuin in his tower quarters and finds the stairs crowded with an overflow of basket and bundles. Inside, the shutters are open to let in the light, but the wind, snow and cold also come through the windows. Tristen closes the shutters and sends Tassand to light the fire, set the candles and rearrange the furnishings.
Afterward, Tristen joins Uwen for a ride with Earl Crissand. He finds the horse yard filled with carts loading supplies to take to the river camp. Then Crissand arrives with a much larger guard force. After some confusion, Tristen and his bodyguards mount up and ride off through the town. The commoners joyfully shout "Lord Sihhe" as usual; despite the offense to the Guelenfolk (or maybe because of it), his Amefin just can't be convinced to mute their cheers.
The party takes the South Road to Padys Springs, which Tristen realizes had once been called Bathurys. As they talk about common things, Crissand learns that such things are not ordinary to Tristen. Since his personal memories only extended back to the past spring, many things have not yet been experienced. Sheep, for example, is a new and interesting subject to Tristen.
At Padys Springs, they turn off onto the road to Levey. As they pass the old shrine, a fierce gust of wind blows across the column. Then an old woman appears by the stones. Crissand doesn't know her, but Tristen and Uwen recognize her as Auld Syes. The Shadow addresses them as the Lord of Amafel and the aetheling and states that their road lies south, then she tells Tristen to find and feed her sparrows. Finally, she dares Tristen to invite her into his home and he welcomes her.
As they ride south, the party struggles through a sudden storm of snow and ice until they meet Cevulirn and his Ivanim guards. After turning back toward Henas'amef, the weather turns warm. Later, Tristan calls a council of Amefin nobles and has Cevulirn tell them of events in the Guelemara court. They discuss the situation in Elwynor, but decide not to ride north quite yet. Instead, Tristen sends Cevulirn back south to invite the Southron lords to the Midwinter festival in Henas'amef.
In this story, Tristen discovers that the sparrows are armed Elwynim refugees, whom he sends to Althalen. Much has happened, so he sends Sergeant Gedd to Idrys with messages. On his return to Amafel, Gedd is followed by unknown persons and has to walk to Henas'amef on back roads. When he finally returns, Tristen readily perceives that his messengers are being intercepted and he resolves to send only the most urgent messages to Guelessar.
In Guelemara, Cefwyn arranges the marriage of Luriel of Murandys to Rusyn of Panys. After their own marriage, Cefwyn and Ninevrise welcome Luriel back to the court. Afterward, Rusyn invites Luriel to dance. The betrothal soon follows and Luriel joins Ninevrise's court in the preparation of her wedding finery.
This story relates the attempts of Tristen to control the weather. He learns many things from these trials, including the dangers of turning the weather too warm with snow on the ground. Luckily, the snowmelt doesn't wash out any bridges and the lower fields soon dry. Moreover, Tristen finds that something else is countering his wishes.
Highly recommended for Cherryh fans and anyone else who enjoys tales of high magic, feudal plotting and Royal lovers.
-Arthur W. Jordin
Political intrigues abound..........2003-05-25
Book three of this series picks up the threads of the lives of Tristan and Cefwyn. Tristan, magical Shaping of Wizard Mauryl, has been appointed Lord of Amefel and sent away from his friend and liege, King Cefwyn, for his own good and for the good of the kingdom.
He has taken up the reins of ruling Amefel, and having banished and otherwise dealt with traitors and unreliable people, he faces new problems. Not the least of which are the civil war in the lands to the West, and people insisting he is the fulfillment of the prophecy of the return of a Sidhe King. He rebuilds the fortifications of Amefel, gathers together the alliance of the southern provinces in expectation of war with the west come spring, and learns more of his magical abilities and their dangers.
Cefwyn, meanwhile, has his own problems. The `state' religion resists his bride Ninevrise, the regent of the lands in rebellion to the west, on the grounds of her religious beliefs. Provincial barons used to controlling the previous king plot and scheme against him, his goal to free his bride's lands, and wouldn't mind if they managed to remove him too. New to statesmanship, he struggles to maintain balance, and device ways to nullify some of their influence without resorting to violence.
This is a book of parallels, as we switch back and forth between Tristen seeking to do right by Amefel and learn about himself, and Cefwyn and his court. As Tristen brings the `southern' barons together to secure the kingdom's western borders, Cefwyn attempt to control the unwilling `northern' barons. Both hope to prevent civil war in their own kingdom while preparing for war in the west.
This is the third season of Tristen's life, coming full grown into the world last spring, and the third season of the kingship for Cefwyn. Events force decisions and actions, pushing toward Midwinter, a turning of the year, but also a Turning of Wizardly Years, and indeed a Great Turning of Years.
Cefwyn's court prepares for a wedding, planned to be the first step in Cefwyn's campaign to control the northern barons; Tristen prepares for the arrival of the southern barons for festival and war plans.
The tale ends at Midwinter morning, after disturbing challanges to both courts Midwinter Eve. A murder preventing the wedding in Cefwyn's; a magical assault on Tristen. Both are resisted and controlled, but we await the fourth book to see the outcomes.
The books continue to unfold slowly. If you're looking for fast-paced space opera, these are not for you. But Cherryh excels at studying people and cultures in times of change and crisis, and is doing so again. The people are real and we are given time to see them in action and understand their motives and relationships. There are secrets still to unravel, and issues to settle. And these questions most of all: why was Tristen Summoned and Shaped? Is he still following the summoning or becoming his own man? What is his destiny? Will he live past his year? Much hinges on just these unknowns.
Good things!.......2001-06-07
While not fantastic on it's own, this book is an incredible way to lead readers into the final book in the series Fortress of Dragons. The plot thickens a great deal in this book and the secondary characters become multi-dimensional, but the primary characters play more into the plot than develop like they do in the last novel. It picks up the pace a good bit from the second novel so the readers are ready to jump into the series conclusion.
I will not be buying anymore books in this series.......2000-12-28
The first book in this series was the most intriguing. Each book thereafter has decreased in quality. I barely made it through Fortress of Owls. I found it mostly boring and tedious. I had moments of being absorbed by action but I inevitibly felt disappointed with the weak endings of intriguing action scenes.
I have read the other reviews of this series and I was amazed at how many people praised her writing style in this series. I frequently found her language to be vague and difficult to understand. Apparently she has some very enjoyable books of the SciFi genre which I have not read.
It has taken quite a bit of effort to keep some of the characters, namely the Lords of the realm, straight. Their names are hard to remember and there are many of them who are not seen very often.
Many of the scenes of magic were hard to understand, like when Tristen goes to the place in the palace where the old wards are messed up on Mid-Winters Eve and he ends up back in his old room where his younger self might walk in any moment. I had difficulty 'seeing' what she was describing and understanding its meaning.
Many of her characters are only one faceted: Murandy, Rysand, Orien, Tasien. All evil.
I also got tired of unrealistic changes in Tristen's perception of safety. In one paragraph the gray space is safe or neutral. In the next breath it is rippling with evil. It seemed like a ploy to create tension but it was used too often without plausible purpose for the change.
It takes a lot for me not to finish a series after I have already put my money and time into 3 books. But after reading the reviews for Fortress of Dragons I throw in the towel on this series. I know I sound quite cynical but I think the desire to get people to buy more books played more into the length of this saga than actual material. This series could have been fully explored in 3 books.
If you like sagas then I would recommend Robert Jordan or Robin Hobb for starters.
Superior Fantasy.......2000-11-08
This book has everything a devoted reader of fantasy could desire. The characterisation of the main protagonists and world-building are masterful, the plot is intricate and spellbinding, and Cherryh's writing is bedazzling. For some readers this novel might contain too little physical action (there are hardly, if any, sword-fights, battles etc.), but the intrigues and thrilling, involving story-line should more than compensate for that. (For those who like flashing swords etc., I strongly recommend novels by David Gemmell and Michael Moorcock, two excellent writers of heroic fantasy). All in all, this book should keep a host of fantasy-readers busy for a few pleasant days, and beyond.
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Fortress of Owls
C. J. Cherryh
Manufacturer: PB-41 Paperback Harper Fantasy very good condition 1999
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000LEKKIM |
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