Still, until the advent of Playwrights in an Hour, nobody has thought to condense the life, the times, and the work of major dramatists into a series of books that can be read in sixty minutes.
Some people might call this series the product of a particularly audacious imagination. Others might interpret it as yet another example of concentration loss in an age when people prefer blogs to newspapers, summaries to books, and quick dips to full immersions.
And yet, when you think about it, Playwrights In An Hour provides us with a singular service, not just to neophytes tasting theater for the first time but to seasoned professionals in the field. They tell us where a dramatic artist came from, and how he or she got there in the first place. A brief chronology provides the highpoints of the playwright’s career, scenes from the plays create an overview of the playwright’s development, a selected bibliography highlights the best available commentary, and, most useful of all, an insightful introductory essay fixes the playwright in his or her time.
The publishing house of Smith and Kraus, furthermore, has selected the most lasting and powerful dramatic writers in the canon for this exercise, drawing on the entire Western tradition, from Aeschylus to August Wilson. And while there are those who will very likely quibble over this inclusion or that omission, almost all of the finest dramatic writers are represented here, with more to come. So, whether you are a student or a teacher, a director, actor, or designer, or simply a literary tourist looking for new experiences, you will find genuine value in these attractive little volumes. Plus the opportunity to familiarize yourselves with the best that has been created and commented on in the field.