Simon Gray Unbound
Simon Gray Unbound

Author: Peter Wolfe

Publisher: McFarland

Published: 2014-01-10

Total Pages: 260

ISBN-13: 0786485302

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The work of English playwright Simon Gray (1936-2008) has always resisted ideological and stylistic labels. His artistic independence has also had an unwelcome side effect: It cost him the critical attention garnered by his peers. This book, the first monograph on Gray, examines his oeuvre from the early plays, which hack away at the formalism and humanism of traditional English satire, to the later ones, in which he explores English professionals and their problems connecting with each other. If Gray remains the least known major English dramatist of his day, he's also one of the boldest and best.

George V. Higgins
George V. Higgins

Author: Erwin H. Ford II

Publisher: McFarland

Published: 2014-07-09

Total Pages: 229

ISBN-13: 1476616353

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Best known for his popular crime fiction, Boston novelist George V. Higgins (1939-1999) should stand among the top ranks of the American literary canon. In his 26 novels and dozens of short stories, Higgins chronicled the lives of Boston's Irish with his trademark hard-boiled dialog, exploring the criminal underworld, American democracy, Boston politics, personal redemption and New England life in the tradition of Hawthorne and Thoreau. This intimate biography explores his turbulent life and career, including his working-class Irish Catholic roots, his two stormy marriages, his ambivalence toward the city of his birth, his passion for the limelight, and his drinking, which disrupted his family life and led to his early death at age 59. Discussions of Higgins's individual works and excerpts from his correspondence, writings, and thoughts on literature complete this revealing portrait.

Simon Gray: Plays 4
Simon Gray: Plays 4

Author: Simon Gray

Publisher: Faber & Faber

Published: 2013-05-02

Total Pages: 463

ISBN-13: 0571307612

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'Sharp, funny and clever . . . What a pleasure to re-encounter a play that combines unabashed intelligence and zinging wit with a rare generosity of spirit.' Daily Telegraph on The Common Pursuit 'Gray's stature as one of the handful of great tragi-comic English dramatists of the second half of the twentieth century would appear now to be undisputed.' Howard Jacobson, Critical Quarterly Hidden Laughter 'A sad divine comedy, superbly written. Gray nurses his characters and cares for them, but he never pampers them, or pities them, or presumes to use them as his spokesman. In this respect, he has become an English Chekhov... At the same time, Gray dispenses some of the incandescent malice and moral savagery of Coward at his acid best... But, of course, comparisons can only help you get your bearings. Gray is entirely his own man in this painful, querulous, warm, hard and mature play.' Sunday Times

Henry Green
Henry Green

Author: Peter Wolfe

Publisher: McFarland

Published: 2017-11-30

Total Pages: 259

ISBN-13: 1476671117

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By mid-career, many successful writers have found a groove and their readers come to expect a familiar consistency and fidelity. Not so with Henry Green (1905-1973). He prefers uncertainty over reason and fragmentation over cohesion, and rarely lets the reader settle into a nice cozy read. Evil, he suggests, can be as instructive as good. Through Green's use of paradoxical and ambiguous language, his novels bring texture to the flatness of life, making the world seem bigger and closer. We soon stop worrying about what Hitler's bombs have in store for the Londoners of Caught (1943) and Back (1946) and start thinking about what they have in store for each other. Praised in his lifetime as England's top fiction author, Green is largely overlooked today. This book presents a comprehensive analysis of his work for a new generation of readers.

The Theater of Terrence McNally
The Theater of Terrence McNally

Author: Peter Wolfe

Publisher: McFarland

Published: 2013-10-23

Total Pages: 273

ISBN-13: 0786474955

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This first book-length work on Terrence McNally shows how his decades in the theater have refined his thoughts on subjects like growing up gay in mannish, homophobic Texas, Shakespeare's legacy in contemporary drama, and the life-giving power of forgiveness. McNally believes that the ability to forgive--a challenge to even the most high-minded--confirms our humanity because the wrongs done to us usually don't deserve to be forgiven. The author shows how McNally's impeccable timing, his instinct for a good laugh line, and his preference for physical sensation and character over plot helps him reveal both what's important to his people and why his people are important. These revelations can shake up audiences while providing a great evening at the theater.

Soupy Twists!
Soupy Twists!

Author: Jem Roberts

Publisher: Unbound Publishing

Published: 2018-09-06

Total Pages: 303

ISBN-13: 1783526378

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This first ever, officially authorised biography of Fry & Laurie takes us on their journey from insecure Footlighters to international comedy heroes. It is the tale of a true friendship, a deep affection between two very funny men which has long been reflected back from an adoring public. Jem Roberts, acclaimed chronicler of Blackadder and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, covers everything from the excitement of being the first Perrier Award winners with The Cellar Tapes to the terrors of performing on Saturday Live, the collaborative warfare of Blackadder and the ultimate depiction of Wodehouse’s most inimitable characters, Jeeves & Wooster. Beyond this, the trials and tribulations of their remarkable subsequent separate career paths, from QI to House, will be explored for the first time. With tantalising, never-before-seen titbits from the A Bit of Fry & Laurie archive, and interviews with Emma Thompson, Richard Curtis, John Lloyd and more, this history of Fry & Laurie is an overdue celebration, paying tribute to a legacy of laughter from one of the funniest double acts of all time.

Unbound: A Novel in Verse
Unbound: A Novel in Verse

Author: Ann E. Burg

Publisher: Scholastic Inc.

Published: 2016-09-27

Total Pages: 356

ISBN-13: 0545937876

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From the award-winning author of All the Broken Pieces and Serafina's Promise comes a breathtaking new novel that is her most transcendent and widely accessible work to date. The day Grace is called from the slave cabins to work in the Big House, Mama makes her promise to keep her eyes down. Uncle Jim warns her to keep her thoughts tucked private in her mind or they could bring a whole lot of trouble and pain. But the more Grace sees of the heartless Master and hateful Missus, the more a rightiness voice clamors in her head-asking how come white folks can own other people, sell them on the auction block, and separate families forever. When that voice escapes without warning, it sets off a terrible chain of events that prove Uncle Jim's words true. Suddenly, Grace and her family must flee deep into the woods, where they brave deadly animals, slave patrollers, and the uncertainty of ever finding freedom. With candor and compassion, Ann E. Burg sheds light on a startling chapter of American history--the remarkable story of runaways who sought sanctuary in the Great Dismal Swamp--and creates a powerful testament to the right of every human to be free.

Be Funny or Die
Be Funny or Die

Author: Joel Morris

Publisher: Unbound Publishing

Published: 2024-03-07

Total Pages: 268

ISBN-13: 1800183119

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Comedy is a game that all humans play. There are big social prizes if you win, but it is easy to end up with custard pie on your face... or worse. Comedy can soothe our pain, vent our anger, make us feel less alone and provide the answer to life’s most difficult questions, such as, ‘What do you call a man with a seagull on his head?’* It’s a social glue but it can also be divisive, and the joke is on us if we don’t understand how it works. So, what are the rules? How does comedy do its magic and why does it matter? Join professional comedy writer Joel Morris on a hilarious journey into the hidden world of shared laughter where he reveals the mechanisms that make jokes work and what comedy can teach us about ourselves. Offering astute analysis of everything from stand-up to slapstick and sitcom to spoof, Morris examines comedic patterns, rhythms and dynamics to uncover the algorithms that secretly underpin comedy. Packed with gags and examples of comedy at its best – plus some invaluable tips on how to master that b’dum tish timing – Be Funny or Die is a fascinating investigation into how our species has developed and mastered this essential art form where laughter is the universal language and only the funniest survive. *Cliff.