The Cambridge Companion to David Mamet

Offering both student and theatergoer a guide to one of the most celebrated living American dramatists, this volume covers the complete range of Mamet's writing, as well as his films, such as The Verdict and Wag the Dog. Additional chapters also explore Mamet and acting, Mamet as director, his fiction, and a survey of Mamet criticism. The Companion will prepare the reader for future work by this important and influential writer.

This collection of specially written essays offers both student and theatregoer a guide to one of the most celebrated American dramatists working today. Readers will find the general and accessible descriptions and analyses provide the perfect introduction to Mamet's work. The volume covers the full range of Mamet's writing, including now classic plays such as American Buffalo and Glengarry Glen Ross, and his more recent work, Boston Marriage, among others, as well as his films, such as The Verdict and Wag the Dog. Additional chapters also explore Mamet and acting, Mamet as director, his fiction, and a survey of Mamet criticism. The Companion to David Mamet is an introduction which will prepare the reader for future work by this important and influential writer.

List of contributors; Preface; 1. David Mamet Christopher Bigsby; 2. The 1970s Johan Callens; 3. David Mamet's American Buffalo Matthew Roudané; 4. The 1980s Alain Piette; 5. Glengarry Glen Ross Benedict Nightingale; 6. The 1990s Heather Braun; 7. Oleanna: tragic power play Brenda Murphy; 8. Mamet and the actor Don B. Wilmeth; 9. On directing Mamet Steven Price; 10. David Mamet and film Philip French; 11. David Mamet's fiction Christopher Bigsby; 12. Misreading Mamet: scholarship and reviews David Sauer and Janice A. Sauer; Index.

This collection of specially written essays offers both student and theatregoer a guide to one of the most celebrated American dramatists working today. The volume covers the full range of Mamet's writing, as well as his films, such as The Verdict and Wag the Dog.

Christopher Bigsby is Professor of American Studies at the University of East Anglia and has published more than twenty-five books covering American theatre, popular culture and British drama, including Modern American Drama, 1945–1990 (Cambridge University Press, 2000), and Contemporary American Playwrights (Cambridge University Press, 2000). He is editor of The Cambridge Companion to Arthur Miller and coeditor, with Don Wilmeth, of The Cambridge History of American Theatre. He is also an award-winning novelist and regular radio and television broadcaster.