The Infernal Machine and Other Plays
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Book Overview
Among the great figures who pioneered the modern movement in world literature, none showed himself more versatile than France's Jean Cocteau. Poet, novelist, critic, artist, actor, film-maker, Cocteau was also one of the greatest dramatists Europe has produced, with over a dozen plays which are frequently revived, not only in France, but in translation in many other countries. For this collection, fine translations of four full-length plays, one short play, and the "Speaker's Text" for the Cocteau-Stravinsky opera Oedipus Rex have been selected. The longer plays (The Infernal Machine, Orpheus, Bacchus, Knights of the Round Table) are re-creations of classic myth and legend--poetic and highly original interpretations of certain timeless themes which have inspired great drama through the ages. The Eiffel Tower Wedding Party is, by contrast, merely a "curtain-raiser," but remarkable as un jeu d'esprit, revealing the wit and psychological penetration for which Cocteau is famous.
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:0811200221
ISBN13:9780811200226
Release Date:January 1964
Publisher:New Directions Publishing Corporation
Length:412 Pages
Weight:0.91 lbs.
Dimensions:1.1" x 5.2" x 7.9"
Customer Reviews
2 ratings
Classic Tales By Cocteau
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 24 years ago
A magnificent collection of plays by Cocteau, this set includes Orpheus, Oedipus Rex, and a preposterous execution of Knights Of The Round Table. Most outstanding is the surreal Eiffel Tower, in which inanimate objects possess mortal properties, and subsequently performing a play within a play. More comprehensive than what he put to film, nevertheless Cocteau writes in a minimalist mark that makes this book a fast yet enjoyable read. Also check out the novels Les Enfant Terrible and Opium.
this book wuz kool
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 25 years ago
you know.. like whateve
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