Uncle Vanya

By Anton Chekhov

Book Overview

"Simply, plainly wonderful."--The Boston Globe

Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright David Mamet's Uncle Vanya is a sparkling restoration of a masterpiece of the modern stage, marked by Mamet's finely tuned ear for dialogue and memorable poetic imagery.

In Uncle Vanya, a retired professor and his beautiful young wife return to the country estate left by his deceased first wife to find themselves overwhelmed by the stagnant inevitability of the rituals of their life and class, and mercilessly taxed by the encroachment of age at the expense of youth. All of the play's characters are plunged into that precarious state where, in Beckett's words, "the boredom of living is replaced by the suffering of being."

Working from a literal translation by Vlada Chernomordik, Mamet, who has also adapted Chekhov's Three Sisters and The Cherry Orchard, opens the way for a contemporary audience to establish immediate contact with a classic, infusing the power of Chekhov's play with the potent precision of his own modern voice.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0802131514
• ISBN13: 9780802131515
• Release Date: January 1994
• Publisher: Grove/Atlantic, Incorporated
• Length: 96 Pages
• Weight: 0.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 5.4" x 8.1"

Customer Reviews

Uncle Vanya

Enjoyed this adaptation by David Mamet very much. It arrived very quickly which was surely appreciated. Thank you.

One of the most thought provoking and beautiful plays

"Uncle Vanya" is a beautiful play. I've read it many times in several languages and always enjoyed it very much. Don't read it unless you have attention span greater than that of a child. It's rewarding if you give it a chance. This is Chekhov's best play.

Checkov at his best

I have read many versions of Uncle Vanya, but this edition is an up-beat, funny, and, ultimately wonderful version of the excellent story by one of Russias beloved writers. I was looking for the right edition to use in my school for the school play, and this edition the kids could connect to. It dosen't have a lot of that Shakespere mumbo-jumbo that you have to read 50 times. This is accesible and very good. rock on David Mamet.

engaging

I enjoyed reading Uncle Vanya. It delves into the lives of everyday normal people and their hopes and disillusionments of life. It is about self-realization and not getting what you want. A great play.

excellent

What a great play, disecting how differently people can view the things in life that are either of great importance, or extreme triviality.