Synopsis
The Theater of Maria Irene Fornes
Published by John Hopkins University
Throughout the anthology, textual analysis is balanced with production criticism. Contributors assess Fornes's connection to the various traditions that have claimed her--absurdism, realism, and surrealism, among others.
Several critics reveal Fornes's range by delving deeply into individual plays, particularly the landmark Fefu and Her Friends. Her work as a director is captured in rehearsal logs, interviews with her actors, and a sampling of production reviews from 1965 to 1993. The anthology closes with Fornes's own views on her work, in statements and interviews from each stage of her career. More than twenty production photographs accompany the text.
"An indispensable book to anyone interested in the work of a theatre artist whose oeuvre Tony Kushner rightly assesses as one of 'American drama's most important achievements'" - Maria M. Delgado, New Theatre Quarterly
"If art is to inspire us, we must not be too eager to understand. If we understand too readily, our understanding will, most likely, be meaningless. It will have no consequences. We must be patient with ourselves" - Maria Irene Fornes
Contributors include Herbert Blau, Robert Coe, Susan Letzler Cole, Scott Cummings, Elinor Fuchs, Richard Gilman, Tony Kushner, Phillip Lopate, Bonnie Marranca, Erika Munk, Marc Robinson, Michael Smith, Susan Sontag, Ross Wetzsteon, W. B. Worthen, and others.