Enrico IV

by Luigi Pirandello

Overview

Pirandello's savage comedy from 1921 reflects the warp of European reality after World War I and advances his philosophical argument that reality is never a rock certainty, only a subjective creation.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781477655832
Publisher:	CreateSpace Publishing
Publication date:	06/13/2012
Pages:	90
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.22(d)
Language:	Italian

About the Author

Luigi Pirandello (Girgenti, 28 giugno 1867 - Roma, 10 dicembre 1936) è stato un drammaturgo, scrittore e poeta italiano, insignito del Premio Nobel per la letteratura nel 1934. Per la sua produzione, le tematiche affrontate e l'innovazione del racconto teatrale è considerato tra i maggiori drammaturghi del XX secolo.

Editorial Reviews

There are at least ten other translations of Pirandello's black comedy of post-World War I life, either in single editions or in anthologies, dating back to 1922. Last year, in his 23rd and last season as artistic director of the American Repertory Theatre in Cambridge, MA, Brustein presented this adaptation of Pastorino's translation of the play. The changes tend to the minor: the play has been cut by nearly half, some characters have different occupations, and actual puppets replace Pirandello's puppet imagery. What, then, have we here? While the language is not that much different from other translations, it's certainly pitched more to the American ear, and the length is geared more to the modern American's attention span (and seat). Who is sane and who is mad, and for how long can we perch on the knife edge of these conditions remain the central questions. The title character's role demands an actor of considerable sophistication and presence, which may keep it out of the average community theater. Aside from that, the play's set design could make the strongest impression (that is, with a proper budget). Although an undeniably interesting take on Enrico, this is not essential for libraries owning other translations. Departmental libraries or script collections, however, will definitely want to add it.-Larry Schwartz, Minnesota State Univ. Lib., Moorhead Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

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