Absurdism

"This index is a veritable who's who of the greats of Western literature. . . . The Board recommends it for every collection whose users conduct analytical studies of literature." Reference Books Bulletin

Thirty-three leading American and British playwrights, from Robert Anderson to Paul Zindel, discuss their own work and contemporary drama and offer projections about theater for the 21st century. Proceeding from the premise that recent drama in various ways represents a reaction to the Theater of the Absurd, interviewer DiGaetani terms the diverse responses "postmodernism," or a movement away from "old-fashioned modernism." This concept, while not universally accepted by the playwrights, becomes a point of departure for lively dialogue, providing insights into the dynamics of contemporary theater.

Volume Four of the distinguished American Theatre: A Chronicle of Comedy and Drama series offers a thorough, candid, and fascinating look at the theater in New York during the last decades of the twentieth century.