Wesker, Arnold (Vol. 5) - Wesker, Arnold 1932–
Wesker, Arnold 1932–
Wesker, a British Jew of Russo-Hungarian descent, is one of the foremost of the New Wave dramatists of the working class. The Kitchen and Roots are considered theatrical masterpieces. In addition to his plays for stage, television, and screen, Wesker has written criticism, essays, and, most recently, a collection of short stories. (See also Contemporary Authors, Vols. 1-4, rev. ed.)
Future historians of mid-twentieth century drama will have to do a lot of homework on the political background, and I don't envy them the job. Stock responses along one or another political groove were the main obstacle to critical assessment of the new English playwrights who came to the front from 1956 onwards. The artistic vitality of this new wave came from an upsurge of attitudes, diction, and characters formerly unknown to our stage; but it seems that the release of energy among the supposedly inhibited English could only...
[The entire page is 4370 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Navigate
