Becket

by Jean Anouilh

Overview

From its powerful opening scene, of a naked King Henry II praying at the tomb of Thomas Becket, to the final wrenching act of ultimate self-sacrifice, Jean Anouih's Becket remains a towering achievement in the history of the theatre. Winner of the Antoinette Perry Award for Best Play of the Season (1960-61), Anouih's monumental work draws from historical events in the Norman conquest of England to create a profound portrait of a man's soul - and a transcendent vision of the human spirit...

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781573225083
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	09/01/1995
Edition description:	1st Riverhead Edition
Pages:	144
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.30(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Jean Anouilh was born in Bordeaux in 1910. He studied law briefly at the Sorbonne and then became a copywriter for an advertising agency. In 1931 he became secretary to the actor-manager, Louis Jouvet, and his first play, The Ermine, was staged the following year. Antigone firmly established his popularity in France in 1944, and Peter Brook's 1950 production of Ring Round the Moon in Christopher Fry's translation made his name in England. His best-known plays are: Restless Heart (1934); Dinner with the Family, Traveller without Luggage (both 1937); Thieves' Carnival (1938); Léocadia (1939); Point of Departure (Eurydice) (1941); Romeo and Jeannette (1945); Medea (1946); Ardèle (1948); The Rehearsal (1950); Colombe (1951); The Waltz of the Toreadors (1952); The Lark (1953); Ornifle (1955); Poor Bitos (1956); Becket (1956); The Fighting Cock (1966); Dear Antoine (1971); The Director of the Opera (1973); Number One (1981). Twice married, he lived mainly in Switzerland for the last thirty years of his life. Anouilh died in 1987.

Frederic Raphael was born on August 14th 1931 in Chicago, and emigrated to England with his parents in 1938. He was educated at independent schools in Sussex and Surrey, before studying at St John's College, Cambridge. His career spans work as a screenwriter and a prolific novelist and journalist.

In 1965 Raphael won an Oscar for the 1965 movie Darling, and two years later received an Oscar nomination for his screenplay for Two for the Road. He collaborated on the screenplay of Stanley Kubrick's last film Eyes Wide Shut, and wrote a controversial memoir of their time together, Eyes Wide Open in 1999.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“M. Anouilh’s essential theme—the portrayal of a life that ends by championing the honor of God, no matter what the cost—has nobility and exaltation.” –Howard Taubman, The New York Times

“Fascinating play… so much that is hopeful, stimulating, imaginatively gratifying.” –Walter Kerr

“A great play.” –Henry Hewes, Saturday Review

“Witty, original and impressive.” –The Wall Street Journal

“A great, exciting play.” Louis Sobol

“Brilliant, exciting and big.” –John Chapman, New York Daily News

“Stunning drama…” –John McClain

“Exciting, stimulating, full-blooded theatre.” –Robert Coleman

“A notable event in the theatre, powerful and distinguished.” –Richard Watts, New York Post

Editorial Reviews

M. Anouilh’s essential theme—the portrayal of a life that ends by championing the honor of God, no matter what the cost—has nobility and exaltation.” –Howard Taubman, The New York Times

“Fascinating play… so much that is hopeful, stimulating, imaginatively gratifying.” –Walter Kerr

“A great play.” –Henry Hewes, Saturday Review

“Witty, original and impressive.” –The Wall Street Journal

“A great, exciting play.” Louis Sobol

“Brilliant, exciting and big.” –John Chapman, New York Daily News

“Stunning drama…” –John McClain

“Exciting, stimulating, full-blooded theatre.” –Robert Coleman

“A notable event in the theatre, powerful and distinguished.” –Richard Watts, New York Post

From the Publisher