Unearth a hidden gem of American theater with Eugene O’Neill’s “Exorcism: A Play in One Act.” Suppressed for nearly a century and believed lost, this rediscovered autobiographical work offers a raw, unfiltered glimpse into the playwright’s early struggles. This First Edition hardcover (Yale University Press, 2012) unveils a pivotal moment in O’Neill’s life a suicide attempt that fueled his artistic fire. “Exorcism” explores themes of addiction, family strife, and the haunting specter of the past, prefiguring the depth of “Long Day’s Journey into Night.” Rediscovered amongst the papers of screenwriter Philip Yordan, this play, complete with O’Neill’s own edits, is a significant addition to O’Neill scholarship and a compelling read for anyone fascinated by the human condition. Experience the genesis of a dramatic master in this intimate and powerful one-act play which was also featured in The New Yorker.
Exorcism: A Play in One Act
22,92 $
In stock
A thrilling archival discovery and literary eventthe publication, after ninety years, of a sharply autobiographical one-act play by the father of modern American theater
Shortly after the debut of Exorcism in 1920, Eugene ONeill suddenly canceled production and ordered all extant copies of the drama destroyed. For over ninety years, it was believed that the play was irrevocably lost, until it was recently discovered that ONeills second wife had in fact retained a copy, which she later gave to the prolific screenwriter and producer Philip Yordan. In early 2011, Yordans widow discovered the typescript of Exorcismcomplete with edits in ONeills own handin her late husbands vast trove of papers. The discovery and publication of Exorcism, a relatively early play in the ONeill corpus, furthers our knowledge of ONeills dramatic development and reveals a pivotal point in the career of this great American playwright.
Revolving around a suicide attempt, Exorcism draws on a dark incident in ONeills own life. This defining event led to his first serious efforts to write. Exorcism displays early examples of ONeills unparalleled skills of capturing deeply personal human drama, and it explores major themesmourning and melancholia, addiction and sobriety, tensions between fathers and sonsthat would permeate his later work. According to Yale Universitys Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library curator Louise Bernard, who acquired the play from a New York bookseller, Exorcism might be read as a preparatory sketch that resonates powerfully with Long Days Journey into Night, one that brings the ONeill family drama full circle in ways at once intimate and grandly conceived.
Exhibition Schedule:
Serialized in The New Yorker
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Binding | |
| Condition | |
| ISBN-10 | 0300181310 |
| ISBN-13 | 9780300181319 |
| Language | |
| Pages | 112 |
| Publisher | |
| Year published | |
| Weight | 227 |
| Edition | First Edition |
| Dewey decimal | 812/.52 |
Related products
Inside Little Britain
15,03 $-
Drama School (School Series)
16,76 $
