The Oberon anthology of contemporary French plays : selected and translated by Chris Campbell

A diverse selection of contemporary plays from a range of established and up-and-coming playwrights based in France, edited and translated by Chris Campbell, Literary Manager of the Royal Court. ‘The four works in this collection illustrate how contemporary French playwriting cannot be confined to any particular tendencies. Notwithstanding, if one might claim – rather reductively – that UK playwriting tends to focus on social, political or economic issues, then French playwriting tends to foreground form. The wholesale rejection of naturalism begun at the turn of the twentieth century by Alfred Jarry and Roger Vitrac, and taken to its extreme by post-war authors including Beckett and Nathalie Sarraute, led to the explosion of classical theatrical notions like narrative coherence, inear action, psychological characterization and comprehensible dialogue, which were replaced by dissolute poetic fragments. Theatre became a laboratory for research into formal possibility. Contemporary plays in French often push the boundaries of conventional theatrical presentation and production, posing new challenges for directors and actors, who are obliged to revise and renew their dramatic practice in order to stage them. So, too, do these plays pose challenges for translators, and Chris Campbell has succeeded with modest mastery in rendering the music of each of the four authors'individual voices in his translations.'Dr Clare Finburgh, University of Kent, from her introduction. A diverse selection of contemporary plays from a range of established and up-and-coming playwrights based in France, edited and translated by Chris Campbell, Literary Manager of the Royal Court.'The four works in this collection illustrate how contemporary French playwriting cannot be confined to any particular tendencies. Notwithstanding, if one might claim -- rather reductively -- that UK playwriting tends to focus on social, political or economic issues, then French playwriting tends to foreground form. The wholesale rejection of naturalism begun at the turn of the twentieth century by Alfred Jarry and Roger Vitrac, and taken to its extreme by post-war authors including Beckett and Nathalie Sarraute, led to the explosion of classical theatrical notions like narrative coherence, in ear action, psychological characterization and comprehensible dialogue, which were replaced by dissolute poetic fragments. Theatre became a laboratory for research into formal possibility. Contemporary plays in French often push the boundaries of conventional theatrical presentation and production, posing new challenges for directors and actors, who are obliged to revise and renew their dramatic practice in order to stage them. So, too, do these plays pose challenges for translators, and Chris Campbell has succeeded with modest mastery in rendering the music of each of the four authors' individual voices in his translations.' Dr Clare Finburgh, University of Kent, from her introduction A diverse selection of contemporary plays from a range of established and up-and-coming playwrights based in France, edited and translated by Chris Campbell, literary manager of the Royal Court, and a foreword by Dr Clare Finburgh of the University of Kent. The volume includes: Rémi De Vos – Till Death Adeline Picault - Bobine And Mikado Magali Mougel - Erwin Motor, Devotion Lancelot Hamelin - Alta Villa A collection that includes a great range of work, in terms of themes, style, younger/more established and male/female writers. Foreword by Dr Clare Finburgh of the University of Kent. Includes the plays:Remi De Vos - Till DeathAdeline Picault - Bobine And MikadoMagali Mougel - Erwin Motor, DevotionLancelot Hamelin - Alta Villa