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Takes the ruins and all the infinite detritus that is modern America and transforms them into an art that is both timely and mythic, and always genuinely American. One of those few writers who brings his work directly from the depths of his own mangled innards.
I bought this book for a play reading group. I read a number of the plays, and ended up choosing "Curse of the Starving Class," which has some fascinating and memorable characters. It is a difficult play, but the group liked it. Sam Shepard is a great playwright.
Who knows. American playwrights aren't good at creating a career of playwriting. They write dynamically for a given period and then off they go into putting the holy bible on stage or some such epic. Money and fame may be responsible. Shepard has said in interviews that he sees plays as an outlet for ideas. They become mystics, like Allen Ginsberg.
"True West" sets the stage: we have real dramatic conflict, exciting dialog (of the sort last heard in Albee's "Zoo Story"), and high theatricality. Why, I can't say. Here gathered in a single anthology are the key works, on which his life's reputation rests. Shepard wrote plays for a while and then, I think, Hollywood put the zap on him and he was gone. His occasional pieces today are weak imitations of his former self. The rest of the anthology is well worth reading, but for my money Shepard wrote a fine short play but his long and longer pieces are less interesting.
The problem as I see it is that he has none.
His eccentric characters, sparse writing and classic plays. 1. I like to call this collection Best of Shepard Vol. I've seen "Buried Child" on-Broadway and scenes from "Buried Child", "Curse of the Starving Class", "Savage Love" and "True West" in countless acting classes. This collection belongs in any actors collection. Sam Shepard is a true, unique American voice. One of America's greatest writers.
This collection of plays is extraordinary. Shepard threads tales of cartoonlike characters bound by the direst of circumstances excellently.
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