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Includes the plays Italian Night and Tales from the Vienna Woods
Written in 1930s Europe, these plays describe the decay of a society haunted by inflation and succumbing to a rising tide of fascism. In Hampton's translation of Tales from the Vienna Woods (staged at the RNT in 1977) von Horváth portrays, with compassion and impartiality, the interplay between individual selfishness and the pressures of a society in crisis. Italian Night, in this new translation by Meredith Oakes, has a group of friends deciding to hold a republican 'Italian Night', only to discover the fascists have chosen the same day for a German Day parade.
About the author
Christopher Hampton is a highly successful British dramatist. His work for the Royal Court included Total Eclipse (1968) and The Philanthropist (1970). An accomplished linguist, his adaptation include Uncle Vany (1970), Hedda Gabler (1970) and A Doll's House (1971). His best known recent work has been his adaptaion of Les Liaisons Dangereuses by Laclos.
Summary
Includes the plays Italian Night and Tales from the Vienna Woods
Written in 1930s Europe, these plays describe the decay of a society haunted by inflation and succumbing to a rising tide of fascism. In Hampton’s translation of Tales from the Vienna Woods (staged at the RNT in 1977) von Horváth portrays, with compassion and impartiality, the interplay between individual selfishness and the pressures of a society in crisis. Italian Night, in this new translation by Meredith Oakes, has a group of friends deciding to hold a republican ‘Italian Night’, only to discover the fascists have chosen the same day for a German Day parade.
Foreword
These two plays portray the losers in what von Horvath calls "the gigantic battle between the individual and society."
