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Rose (Modern Plays)
by Martin ShermanThis powerful one-woman play is a moving reminder of some of the harrowing events that shaped the century and remains sadly relevant today with racial tensions and allegations of antisemitism continuing to dominate the news.Blending the personal with the political, this sharply drawn portrait of a feisty Jewish woman traces Rose's story from the devastation of Nazi-ruled Europe to conquering the American dream. Rose reflects on what it means to be a survivor. Her remarkable life began in a tiny Ukrainian village, took her to Warsaw's ghettos and a ship called The Exodus, and finally to the boardwalks of Atlantic City, the Arizona canyons, and salsa-flavoured nights in Miami beach.This revised edition was published to coincide with the new production at London's Park Theatre starring Maureen Lipman as Rose.
Rose: Cracks; Bent; Messiah; Rose (Modern Plays)
by Martin ShermanThis powerful one-woman play is a moving reminder of some of the harrowing events that shaped the century and remains sadly relevant today with racial tensions and allegations of antisemitism continuing to dominate the news.Blending the personal with the political, this sharply drawn portrait of a feisty Jewish woman traces Rose's story from the devastation of Nazi-ruled Europe to conquering the American dream. Rose reflects on what it means to be a survivor. Her remarkable life began in a tiny Ukrainian village, took her to Warsaw's ghettos and a ship called The Exodus, and finally to the boardwalks of Atlantic City, the Arizona canyons, and salsa-flavoured nights in Miami beach.This revised edition was published to coincide with the new production at London's Park Theatre starring Maureen Lipman as Rose.
The Boy with Two Hearts (Modern Plays)
by Hamed AmiriYou know, I honestly believe he has two hearts? A heart that fails him, of course. But another that keeps him going – a heart that won't be beaten!A story of hope, from Afghanistan to Wales.Herat, Afghanistan, 2000. A young mother makes a speech demanding freedom for Afghan women, angering local Taliban leaders who issue a warrant for her execution. With no choice but to run, theAmiri family embark on a long and terrifying journey out of Afghanistan and across Europe with the UK as their ultimate goal.Thrown into an unfamiliar world of fake passports and untrustworthy handlers, the Amiris must learn how to live with nothing and avoid capture at all costs. But with their eldest son Hussein's life-threatening heart condition growing steadily worse, the journey soon becomes a race against time.Will they beat the odds and reach the UK in time for Hussein to receive the surgery he so badly needs?The Boy with Two Hearts is the story of a family in danger and a love letter to the NHS. This extraordinary true story reveals the courage and humanity behind each refugee story, showing that hope and a sense of home can be found in the most unlikely places.This edition was published to coincide with the production at the National Theatre in London in October 2022.
The Boy with Two Hearts (Modern Plays)
by Hamed AmiriYou know, I honestly believe he has two hearts? A heart that fails him, of course. But another that keeps him going – a heart that won't be beaten!A story of hope, from Afghanistan to Wales.Herat, Afghanistan, 2000. A young mother makes a speech demanding freedom for Afghan women, angering local Taliban leaders who issue a warrant for her execution. With no choice but to run, theAmiri family embark on a long and terrifying journey out of Afghanistan and across Europe with the UK as their ultimate goal.Thrown into an unfamiliar world of fake passports and untrustworthy handlers, the Amiris must learn how to live with nothing and avoid capture at all costs. But with their eldest son Hussein's life-threatening heart condition growing steadily worse, the journey soon becomes a race against time.Will they beat the odds and reach the UK in time for Hussein to receive the surgery he so badly needs?The Boy with Two Hearts is the story of a family in danger and a love letter to the NHS. This extraordinary true story reveals the courage and humanity behind each refugee story, showing that hope and a sense of home can be found in the most unlikely places.This edition was published to coincide with the production at the National Theatre in London in October 2022.
The English Modernist Novel as Political Theology: Challenging the Nation (New Directions in Religion and Literature)
by Charles AndrewsExploring novels by Virginia Woolf, D. H. Lawrence, Evelyn Waugh, and Sylvia Townsend Warner as political theology – works that imagine a resistance to the fusion of Christianity and patriotism which fuelled and supported the First World War – this book shows how we can gain valuable insights from their works for anti-militarist, anti-statist, and anti-nationalist efforts today. While none of the four novelists in this study were committed Christians during the 1920s, Andrews explores how their fiction written in the wake of the First World War operates theologically when it challenges English civil religion – the rituals of the nation that elevate the state to a form of divinity. Bringing these novels into a dialogue with recent political theologies by theorists and theologians including Giorgio Agamben, William Cavanaugh, Simon Critchley, Michel Foucault, Stanley Hauerwas and Jürgen Moltmann, this book shows the myriad ways that we can learn from the authors' theopolitical imaginations.Andrews demonstrates the many ways that these novelists issue a challenge to the problems with civil religion and the sacralized nation state and, in so doing, offer alternative visions to coordinate our inner lives with our public and collective actions.
The English Modernist Novel as Political Theology: Challenging the Nation (New Directions in Religion and Literature)
by Charles AndrewsExploring novels by Virginia Woolf, D. H. Lawrence, Evelyn Waugh, and Sylvia Townsend Warner as political theology – works that imagine a resistance to the fusion of Christianity and patriotism which fuelled and supported the First World War – this book shows how we can gain valuable insights from their works for anti-militarist, anti-statist, and anti-nationalist efforts today. While none of the four novelists in this study were committed Christians during the 1920s, Andrews explores how their fiction written in the wake of the First World War operates theologically when it challenges English civil religion – the rituals of the nation that elevate the state to a form of divinity. Bringing these novels into a dialogue with recent political theologies by theorists and theologians including Giorgio Agamben, William Cavanaugh, Simon Critchley, Michel Foucault, Stanley Hauerwas and Jürgen Moltmann, this book shows the myriad ways that we can learn from the authors' theopolitical imaginations.Andrews demonstrates the many ways that these novelists issue a challenge to the problems with civil religion and the sacralized nation state and, in so doing, offer alternative visions to coordinate our inner lives with our public and collective actions.
A New Jane Austen: How Americans Brought Us the World's Greatest Novelist
by Dr Juliette WellsJane Austen and Lord Byron are often presented as opposites. In Regency England he was the first celebrity author while she was a parson's daughter writing anonymously. But here they are together at last. This book explores how their lives, interests, work and sense of humour often brought them within touching distance, and sets them side by side in the world of the Regency and Romantic period. Using some little-known sources and new research, it illustrates how they were distantly related by marriage; how they knew about each other even though they probably never met; the acquaintances they had in common and how their literary work often came close in subject-matter, approach, technique and tone. Engagingly written and beautifully illustrated, this book will inform and delight scholars and Austen and Byron fans alike, showing that these two great authors were closer than you might think, even in their own day.
A New Jane Austen: How Americans Brought Us the World's Greatest Novelist
by Dr Juliette WellsCompleting Juliette Wells' groundbreaking trio of books on Austen's readers, this latest volume revolutionizes our understanding of how Austen came to be viewed as the world's greatest novelist. Wells shows that Austen's global reputation was established not by British scholars, as is commonly believed, but by visionary American writers and collectors, working largely outside academia. Drawing on extensive research, Wells weaves together colorful, compelling case studies of men and women who, from the 1880s to the 1980s, helped readers appreciate Austen's novels, persuasively advocated for her place in the literary canon, and preserved artifacts vital to her legacy. Engagingly written and extensively illustrated, A New Jane Austen will inform and delight scholars and Austen fans alike.
William Hope Hodgson and the Rise of the Weird: Possibilities of the Dark (Perspectives on Fantasy)
by Timothy S. MurphyThe first comprehensive study of the works of William Hope Hodgson, one of the true innovators of Weird fiction, this book examines the Weird novels and stories upon which his posthumous reputation rests, his non-fantastic writing, identifiable literary influences, and the historical contexts in which he wrote. Focusing extensively upon major works such as The House on the Borderland (1908) and The Night Land (1912), Timothy S. Murphy surveys topics including Hodgson's experiments with code switching and linguistic experimentation; his depictions of racial and ethnic differences and gender and sexuality; the function of space and place in his writing; the adaptation of his shipboard experiences; and his use of abyssal time. With special attention paid to his paradoxical nihilist humanism, this book explores what made Hodgson a respected precursor to later innovators such as H. P. Lovecraft and C.L. Moore, and what makes him an important ancestor to 21st-century writers such as China Miéville, Greg Bear, and Charlie Jane Anders. Demonstrating how his work is both of his time and 'untimely', Murphy recovers Hodgson as the most significant figure to precede the fantastically popular but deeply controversial Lovecraft, as well as a figure whose work challenges what has thus far been accepted about the genre and the interpretive perspectives from which we view it.
William Hope Hodgson and the Rise of the Weird: Possibilities of the Dark (Perspectives on Fantasy)
by Timothy S. MurphyThe first comprehensive study of the works of William Hope Hodgson, one of the true innovators of Weird fiction, this book examines the Weird novels and stories upon which his posthumous reputation rests, his non-fantastic writing, identifiable literary influences, and the historical contexts in which he wrote. Focusing extensively upon major works such as The House on the Borderland (1908) and The Night Land (1912), Timothy S. Murphy surveys topics including Hodgson's experiments with code switching and linguistic experimentation; his depictions of racial and ethnic differences and gender and sexuality; the function of space and place in his writing; the adaptation of his shipboard experiences; and his use of abyssal time. With special attention paid to his paradoxical nihilist humanism, this book explores what made Hodgson a respected precursor to later innovators such as H. P. Lovecraft and C.L. Moore, and what makes him an important ancestor to 21st-century writers such as China Miéville, Greg Bear, and Charlie Jane Anders. Demonstrating how his work is both of his time and 'untimely', Murphy recovers Hodgson as the most significant figure to precede the fantastically popular but deeply controversial Lovecraft, as well as a figure whose work challenges what has thus far been accepted about the genre and the interpretive perspectives from which we view it.
Contemporary Literary and Cultural Theory: An Overview
by Jeffrey R. Di LeoThe most exhaustive mapping of contemporary literary theory to date, this book offers a comprehensive overview of the current state of the field of contemporary literary theory. Examining 75 key topics across 15 chapters, it provides an approachable and encyclopedic introduction to the most important areas of contemporary theory today.Proceeding broadly chronologically from early theory all the way through to postcritique, Di Leo masterfully unpacks established topics such as psychoanalysis, structuralism and Marxism, as well as newer topics such as trans* theory, animal studies, disability studies, blue humanities, speculative realism and many more.Featuring accessible discussion of the work of foundational theorists such as Lacan, Derrida and Freud as well as contemporary theorists such as Haraway, Braidotti and Hayles, it offers a magisterial examination of an enormously rich and varied body of work.
Contemporary Literary and Cultural Theory: An Overview
by Jeffrey R. Di LeoThe most exhaustive mapping of contemporary literary theory to date, this book offers a comprehensive overview of the current state of the field of contemporary literary theory. Examining 75 key topics across 15 chapters, it provides an approachable and encyclopedic introduction to the most important areas of contemporary theory today.Proceeding broadly chronologically from early theory all the way through to postcritique, Di Leo masterfully unpacks established topics such as psychoanalysis, structuralism and Marxism, as well as newer topics such as trans* theory, animal studies, disability studies, blue humanities, speculative realism and many more.Featuring accessible discussion of the work of foundational theorists such as Lacan, Derrida and Freud as well as contemporary theorists such as Haraway, Braidotti and Hayles, it offers a magisterial examination of an enormously rich and varied body of work.
Chekhov’s Sakhalin Journey: Doctor, Humanitarian, Writer
by Jonathan ColeChekhov often said that 'I am a doctor by trade and sometimes I do literary work in my free time', a surprising claim, given his status as a giant of 20th century drama. This literary-biographical study uncovers new sides to him, as both a medical professional and humanitarian, and tells the story of Chekhov's trip to Sakhalin Island in the harsh wastes of Siberia.Anton Chekhov practiced medicine for most of his life and engaged in humanitarian work which took him away from writing for months. He placed one such trip though, across the unforgiving terrain of Siberia to write about the penal island of Sakhalin, above all others. Chekhov's Sakhalin Journey, written by a neuroscientist and practicing clinician, uses this trip and Chekhov's own account of it to shed light on hitherto overlooked aspects of his life. In doing so, it shows that to understand the man we need his medicine as well as his literature, and we need to assess his life from his perspective as well as ours.
Chekhov’s Sakhalin Journey: Doctor, Humanitarian, Writer
by Jonathan ColeChekhov often said that 'I am a doctor by trade and sometimes I do literary work in my free time', a surprising claim, given his status as a giant of 20th century drama. This literary-biographical study uncovers new sides to him, as both a medical professional and humanitarian, and tells the story of Chekhov's trip to Sakhalin Island in the harsh wastes of Siberia.Anton Chekhov practiced medicine for most of his life and engaged in humanitarian work which took him away from writing for months. He placed one such trip though, across the unforgiving terrain of Siberia to write about the penal island of Sakhalin, above all others. Chekhov's Sakhalin Journey, written by a neuroscientist and practicing clinician, uses this trip and Chekhov's own account of it to shed light on hitherto overlooked aspects of his life. In doing so, it shows that to understand the man we need his medicine as well as his literature, and we need to assess his life from his perspective as well as ours.
Plays by Paco Bezerra: Grooming; Lord Ye Loves Dragons; Lulú; I Die for I Die Not (Methuen Drama Play Collections)
by Paco BezerraThis vital anthology includes fresh translations of four of Paco Bezerra's plays in one edited collection for the first time in English. Winner of the National Literary Drama Award in 2009 and the Calderon de la Barca Theatre Drama Prize for New Authors in 2007, Paco Bezerra has become one of the most lauded and essential voices in the Spanish theatrical scene. His works have received both critical and audience acclaim, and his plays have been performed throughout Europe, South America and Asia. In the four plays included in this volume, Bezerra addresses critical issues such as child abuse, racism and women's rights. And, in a manner common to all of his works, Bezerra continually explores how marginalization weaves into all aspects of human existence. Together with an edited introduction to Bezerra's work and world, this collection offers a rare insight into contemporary Spanish theatre for performance and study.
Plays by Paco Bezerra: Grooming; Lord Ye Loves Dragons; Lulú; I Die for I Die Not (Methuen Drama Play Collections)
by Paco BezerraThis vital anthology includes fresh translations of four of Paco Bezerra's plays in one edited collection for the first time in English. Winner of the National Literary Drama Award in 2009 and the Calderon de la Barca Theatre Drama Prize for New Authors in 2007, Paco Bezerra has become one of the most lauded and essential voices in the Spanish theatrical scene. His works have received both critical and audience acclaim, and his plays have been performed throughout Europe, South America and Asia. In the four plays included in this volume, Bezerra addresses critical issues such as child abuse, racism and women's rights. And, in a manner common to all of his works, Bezerra continually explores how marginalization weaves into all aspects of human existence. Together with an edited introduction to Bezerra's work and world, this collection offers a rare insight into contemporary Spanish theatre for performance and study.
Antigone (Modern Plays)
by Inua EllamsA torn family. A hostile state. One heroic brother. One misguided son. One conflicted sister, and the second is on the run.A blistering retelling of the epic story from the writer of Barber Shop Chronicles, Inua EllamsThis edition was published to coincide with the production at Regent Park's Open Air Theatre in September 2022.
Antigone (Modern Plays)
by Inua EllamsA torn family. A hostile state. One heroic brother. One misguided son. One conflicted sister, and the second is on the run.A blistering retelling of the epic story from the writer of Barber Shop Chronicles, Inua EllamsThis edition was published to coincide with the production at Regent Park's Open Air Theatre in September 2022.
KING (Modern Plays)
by Pat KinevaneNo Man or Woman should have to suffer oppression Luther.It's your Birthright to be free, my Love.KING tells the story of Luther, a man from Cork named in honour of his Granny Bee Baw's hero, Dr Martin Luther King Jr.. Luther only leaves his apartment for essential journeys, and to perform as an Elvis impersonator. The play explores oppression, privilege, and resilience, as Luther struggles to live life to the full.This edition is published to coincide with the premiere production by Fishamble in February 2023. It is the fifth solo play by Pat Kinevane, following Forgotten, Silent, Underneath, and Before, which are the winners of many international awards, including the Olivier, Helen Hayes, Herald Archangel, and Scotsman Fringe Firsts.
KING (Modern Plays)
by Pat KinevaneNo Man or Woman should have to suffer oppression Luther.It's your Birthright to be free, my Love.KING tells the story of Luther, a man from Cork named in honour of his Granny Bee Baw's hero, Dr Martin Luther King Jr.. Luther only leaves his apartment for essential journeys, and to perform as an Elvis impersonator. The play explores oppression, privilege, and resilience, as Luther struggles to live life to the full.This edition is published to coincide with the premiere production by Fishamble in February 2023. It is the fifth solo play by Pat Kinevane, following Forgotten, Silent, Underneath, and Before, which are the winners of many international awards, including the Olivier, Helen Hayes, Herald Archangel, and Scotsman Fringe Firsts.
For A Palestinian (Modern Plays)
by Bilal Hasna Aaron KilerciogluBut there's this feeling. And it really is impossible to translate. But if you feel it you know what it is. If you're watching this and you're Palestinian, you know what it is.Bilal has always been obsessed with love stories. Here he tells you his favourite: the true story of Palestinian translator Wa'el Zuaiter. Join Bilal as he ventures through the orange groves of Jaffa, Rome's piazzas, and the Duty-Free aisles of Luton Airport, piecing together this untold story, and asking what it means to be a Palestinian in the West. After receiving standing ovations and glowing audience reviews when it appeared as a work in progress in 2021, WoLab returned to Camden People's Theatre and transferred to the Bristol Old Vic in Autumn 2022, with Bilal Hasna and Aaron Kilercioglu's acclaimed, For A Palestinian. The play was supported by P21 Gallery, Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Na'amod, Bristol Palestine Museum and Cultural Centre, and New Diorama Theatre. "An astonishingly powerful play with a mesmeric performance from Bilal Hasna. He is an important young Palestinian voice who deserves a wide audience."- Palestine Solidarity Campaign WoLab is a working laboratory for artists to create. They provide performance makers of all experiences with the opportunity to have a go. WoLab trains, mentors, nurtures and creatively entitles artists, helping them discover and refine their talents, and then showcases those talents to the industry. Other critically acclaimed WoLab's productions include: RAINER by Max Wilkinson, ENG-ER-LAND by Hannah Kumari, and Man-Cub by Alistair Wilkinson.
For A Palestinian (Modern Plays)
by Bilal Hasna Aaron KilerciogluBut there's this feeling. And it really is impossible to translate. But if you feel it you know what it is. If you're watching this and you're Palestinian, you know what it is.Bilal has always been obsessed with love stories. Here he tells you his favourite: the true story of Palestinian translator Wa'el Zuaiter. Join Bilal as he ventures through the orange groves of Jaffa, Rome's piazzas, and the Duty-Free aisles of Luton Airport, piecing together this untold story, and asking what it means to be a Palestinian in the West. After receiving standing ovations and glowing audience reviews when it appeared as a work in progress in 2021, WoLab returned to Camden People's Theatre and transferred to the Bristol Old Vic in Autumn 2022, with Bilal Hasna and Aaron Kilercioglu's acclaimed, For A Palestinian. The play was supported by P21 Gallery, Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Na'amod, Bristol Palestine Museum and Cultural Centre, and New Diorama Theatre. "An astonishingly powerful play with a mesmeric performance from Bilal Hasna. He is an important young Palestinian voice who deserves a wide audience."- Palestine Solidarity Campaign WoLab is a working laboratory for artists to create. They provide performance makers of all experiences with the opportunity to have a go. WoLab trains, mentors, nurtures and creatively entitles artists, helping them discover and refine their talents, and then showcases those talents to the industry. Other critically acclaimed WoLab's productions include: RAINER by Max Wilkinson, ENG-ER-LAND by Hannah Kumari, and Man-Cub by Alistair Wilkinson.
A Day in May (Modern Plays)
by Colin MurphyOn the 23rd of May 2015, the people of Ireland made history by becoming the first nation in the world to introduce marriage equality by popular vote. Of the almost 2 million Irish people who went to the polls to cast their vote, a staggering 62% of people voted yes. As the historic vote was declared, the joyous scenes from Dublin Castle and across Ireland made headlines around the world.The referendum outcome was about more than the votes cast in its favour; the result was about changing the 'real lives' of the largest minority in Ireland, the LGBT+ Community. The outcome also became a notable achievement for the Irish. The result is something to be proud of, an expression of love and acceptance and a declaration of care and defense for so many Irish men and women who had before felt unequal and unheard.Colin Murphy's documentary drama charts the 35-year-old struggle for LGBT+ Rights in Ireland, culminating in the marriage equality referendum, taking in voices from across the whole of Ireland.
A Day in May (Modern Plays)
by Colin MurphyOn the 23rd of May 2015, the people of Ireland made history by becoming the first nation in the world to introduce marriage equality by popular vote. Of the almost 2 million Irish people who went to the polls to cast their vote, a staggering 62% of people voted yes. As the historic vote was declared, the joyous scenes from Dublin Castle and across Ireland made headlines around the world.The referendum outcome was about more than the votes cast in its favour; the result was about changing the 'real lives' of the largest minority in Ireland, the LGBT+ Community. The outcome also became a notable achievement for the Irish. The result is something to be proud of, an expression of love and acceptance and a declaration of care and defense for so many Irish men and women who had before felt unequal and unheard.Colin Murphy's documentary drama charts the 35-year-old struggle for LGBT+ Rights in Ireland, culminating in the marriage equality referendum, taking in voices from across the whole of Ireland.
The Wonderful World of Dissocia (Modern Plays)
by Anthony NeilsonLife's full of clatter, but none of it matters, only who'll hold your paw when you die.What would you do if you lost an hour from your day? How far would you go to rescue what you've lost?In search of a lost hour that that has tipped the balance of her life, Lisa Jones is on a quest through a surreal world, filled with insecurity guards, flying cars, singing polar bears and wild-goose chases. The inhabitants of Dissocia are a curious blend of the funny, the friendly and the downright brutal.Anthony Neilson's cult play is a poignant and comical delve into the nature of mental illness. This edition was published to coincide with the major London revival at Theatre Royal Stratford East in September 2022.