A great collection from a great playwright.
356238
As a speech and debate coach, I'm always looking for pieces for my competitors to perform at tournament.  Neil Simon has always been one of my personal favorite authors, because he does such an amazing job of meshing comic gold with poignant social commentary.  The second volume of his collected works has some great material that takes very little effort to adapt to whatever presentational format you might need.
478913
This is a very good resource for readers of Sarah Kane's plays because it helps to not only familiarize readers about some of the inter-textual references in Kane's plays, but also shows how smart Kane was as a playwright.  The text contains  nearly 70 pages of interview material with Kane, which proves to be the real gem of the text.  Readers of this book will have a new found appreciation for Kane's plays since many of the literary references and dramaturgical innovations of Kane's plays are underscored throughout the text.  The book also contains interviews with theatre artists who worked with Kane, as well as others close to her work and who were involved in the production of the plays.  All in all, I appreciate this text more than the earlier book on Kane by Saunders, _Love me or kill me: Sarah Kane and the theatre of extremes_.
3055955
This collection is very well assembled. I appreciated the chronological order, as it didn't attempt to add any extra meaning to the stories by way of assembly. The intro was the perfect context given by the publisher, and thus my appreciation of the stories was enhanced a lot; make sure that you read the intro. It recognizes that not all stories are created equal, and in reading the first 5 stories that already becomes clear. Nevertheless, it's a masterful collection by an important American author.
3839696
Lovely - Lamb has transcribed the ten plays beauifully.  Reading the stories before the plays is a great help.
4063868
I really enjoyed this short collection of miscellaneous poems and essays. The one outstanding work was a very interesting article on Edgar Allan Poe that suggest the troubled author/poet was a long-suffering victim of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. After reading Cedric's intuitive analysis I have to admit that I agree with his theory. The first poem, 'The Fool's Cask' based on Poe's 'The Cask of Amontillado,' is a nice homage to Poe whilst being a poem on its own merit. Mr Nye certainly has some solid writing chops and a refreshing and humanitarian viewpoint in his writing that makes me want to read more. The various works in this collection are mostly unrelated to each other which makes for a surprising collection. The prospective reader will be sure to chance upon something in here that will appeal and uplift. My only reservation with 'Assorted Essays and Poetry' which prevented me from giving this collection 5 stars, is that the formatting was in need of tweaking. Despite this one flaw, the writing is solid and interesting enough to compensate. Will definitely be checking out Mr Nye's other work in the near future.
281385
This volume collects three of Andrei Platonov's plays and, most importantly for most English speakers, a contextualization which places the works in their historical and political period. While the plays are certainly able to be appreciated as general social and political statements without the background the experience is considerably richer with the history.

My background is literature and not theater so I did not, on first reading, pay attention to how easy or difficult they would be to stage. Because of that I read it much as one would read a novel. It was the rereading with an eye toward staging, through my amateurish eyes, when I saw both the difficulty in doing so but also the potential for making the plays speak to contemporary times as well as the early 20th century in the Soviet Union. That said, I also acknowledge that what I can picture in my head and what can be reasonably accomplished on stage are likely very different.

I would highly recommend this to students of Soviet history or literature. For the history student this is a primary document that addresses issues from how the peasants were treated to how art can sometimes circumvent authoritarian rule. For general literature or drama fans I would also recommend this though I would suggest reading it initially from the perspective of story and dialogue and not staging, then come back to it as a work written to be staged.
1826803
This collection of shorts is wonderful.  Almost every story was enjoyable and all were well written.  Many of the stories give the reader a glimpse into the styles of some authors that one may have not read. Most of the stories are only long enough to help you decide whether you want to read a novel by the same author.  A few stories run long enough to understand more about the authors storytelling ability than just their writing style.  The collection is highlighted by Nick Hornby's own addition.  Dave Egger's story was the only one that left me dissapointed for all the others if the story itself did not do it for me the writing style and voice made me want to try the authors' novels.  This is a book that should not be passed up by any readers who enjoy the works of any of these authors or readers who are lloking for new and upcoming authors to read.
2494980
An excellent collection.  Well worth your money and time.
3100867
As a playwright, the reading of the last story was very stimulating, because the author uses the theatrical form to tell the story. Also, instead of the written word, the author inserts an image to close his short story. I had never seen another writer doing that. I like this book because is very original. A diverse selection of many faceted characters and situations. Recommend for those who enjoy variety from an insightful writer.
1722795
Noel Coward's talent for spinning gossamer plots into rapier-sharp comedy assures his reputation in theatre, and his comedies have such timeless appeal that they remain staples of both English and American theatre.  This volume collects three of his most memorable scripts: the fantasy BLITHE SPIRIT, the farce HAY FEVER, and the razor-wicked PRIVATE LIVES.
Of the three, BLITHE SPIRIT and PRIVATE LIVES are best known to the general public through various film versions and frequent revivals.  BLITHE SPIRIT concerns a novelist who invites a medium to give a seance that he might learn tricks of the trade for the book he is writing--but the medium is no fake, and she unintentionally summons up the ghost of his first wife, who promptly moves in and makes his second wife's life a living hell.  PRIVATE LIVES offers the story of a divorced couple who unexpectedly meet while honeymooning with their new spouses--whom they quickly abandon in order to resume their torrid passion for each other.  Trouble is, although they love each other desperately, their personalities are about as compatible as two scorpions in a bottle.  HAY FEVER, one of Coward's earliest successes, presents the story of visitors to an eccentric family who are very nearly driven mad before they are able to escape.
Coward was reknowned for his sophistocated and often acid turn of phrase, and all three of these plays contain enough outrageous situations and sharp-tongued lines to make even the worst sourpuss laugh loud enough to annoy the neighbors.  Although those unused to reading playscripts may find HAY FEVER a bit hard to grasp, both BLITHE SPIRIT and PRIVATE LIVES read extremely, extremely well--so much so that you're likely to find yourself acting them out as you read!  Wonderful fun, and strongly, strongly recommended.
2840753
This is a wonderful collection of earlier poetry of Louis Jenkins first published in 1995.  It is a delightful introduction to the work of this master of the prose poem.  While the title is the same as the recent play by Jenkins and Mark Rylance, it contains only a few of the poems used in the play which includes poems written throughout his more than 50 years of writing.
2243093
I think this is an exceptionally good collection of works. 'The Locked Door' and 'The Taste of Her Skin' are really quite good. I enjoyed the stories a lot.
2807243
It is a wonderful collection! I loved reading these great plays in such a beautiful format! This elegant and attractive edition makes you want to reread all these plays again and again.
4240388
This is a wonderful collection of Poe that covers his career from his early work (The City in the Sea) to his later work (Annabel Lee). This would be a great place for any aspiring writer or poet to start with Poe. This collection represents Poe at his best, dark and  suspenseful, with the occasional loss of a beautiful woman thrown in. Whats not to like?
1882585
Irwin Shaw was one of the best  writers of short stories in the history of American literature. ( He was, incidentally, my father's classmate and acquaintance). His work has unfortunately not received enough attention in the 20+ years since his death.  His clarity and the unobtrusiveness of his way of storytelling are examples of the best sort of writing.

The University of Chicago press should be thanked for making this collection of his stories so easily available. Some, especially earlier productions like Girls in Their Summer Dresses and The Monument, will ( or should ) be read as long as American literature remains a serious subject.
3704965
I heard of this book, and many others, by reading Jonathan Yardley"s "Second Reading--Notable and Neglected Books Revisited."  Roald Dahl is widely known as a writer of children's literature, but he indeed could spin a great adult tale too.  This collection of short stories was supplied by one of Amazon's vendors and was said to be new.  In this case, I guess that means "not used," as the paperback clearly was not thumbed over.  However, having been published in 1961, its pages were somewhat yellowed, and it had the general smell and feel of a book from someone's private, long-held collection.  Apparently out of print, the work indeed has been neglected, as Yardley indicated.

What a shame.  Dahl is a master story teller who managed to end most of the stories in this collection with a surprising twist.  Not a few of the stories could be said to be macabre, in a wonderful sort of way.  Being a Welsh man apparently inclined to aristocratic ways, the author has that old-fashioned command of language, custom and mannerisms reminiscent of P.G. Wodehouse,.coupled with a bit of Dickensian characterization.  The stories are bite-sized to be easily finished in a sitting, unlike some others that are more properly novellas.  Characters are well developed to the purpose, and many are quite memorable.  I highly recommend this collection and hope that you can still find it.
2580797
A wonderful anthology with plays touching upon relevant themes. Great if you're a drama teacher wanting a short piece for students to work on and present. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!