The Theatre of Brian Friel

Brian Friel is Ireland's foremost living playwright, whose work spans fifty years and has won numerous awards, including three Tonys and a Lifetime Achievement Arts Award. Author of twenty-five plays, and whose work is studied at GCSE and A level (UK), and the Leaving Certificate (Ire), besides at undergraduate level, he is regarded as a classic in contemporary drama studies. Christopher Murray offers the definitive guide to Friel's work; both a detailed study of individual plays and an exploration of Friel's dual commitment to tradition and modernity across his oeuvre. Beginning with Friel's 1964 work Philadelphia, Here I Come! it follows a broadly chronological route through the principle plays, including Aristocrats, Faith Healer, Translations, Dancing at Lughnasa, Molly Sweeney and The Home Place. Along the way it considers themes of exile, politics, fathers and sons, belief and ritual, history, memory, gender inequality, and loss, all set against the dialectic of tradition and modernity.

Christopher Murray is Emeritus Professor of English and Drama at University College, Dublin, where he was the founder member and first director of the UCD Drama Centre offering MA and PhD in Modern Drama Studies. His many publications include Twentieth-Century Irish Drama: Mirror up to Nation. He is chair of the board of directors of the Gaiety School of Acting, Dublin.

Acknowledgements 1. Situating Friel 2. Coming of Age: Philadelphia, Here I Come! 3. Formation of an Aesthetic: The Loves of Cass McGuire and Crystal and Fox 4. Speaking Out: The Freedom of the City and Volunteers 5. Uncertainty, Memory, Tragedy: Living Quarters and Faith Healer 6. A Kind of Trilogy: Making History, Translations and The Home Place 7. The Chekhov Factor and Gender Issues: Aristocrats, Dancing at Lughnasa and Molly Sweeney 8. 'The Vodka-and-Tonic Society': Wonderful Tennessee and Give Me Your Answer, Do! 9. Critical Perspectives: Shaun Richards, 'Placed Identities for Placeless Times: Brian Friel and Post-Colonial Criticism'; David Krause, 'The Failed Words of Brian Friel'; Csilla Bertha, 'Art as a lieu de memoire in Brian Friel's The Home Place' 10. Performances 11. General Conclusion Notes Selected bibliography Index