4.48 Psychosis [Paperback]

Sarah Kane (Author)

Book Description

Series: Methuen Drama Series | Publication Date: January 1, 2001

4.48 Psychosis sees the ultimate narrowing of Sarah Kane's focus in her work. The struggle of the self to remain intact has moved in her work from civil war, into the family, into the couple, into the individual, and finally into the theatre of phychosis: the mind itself. This play was written in 1999 shortly before the playwright took her own life at age 28. On the page, the piece looks like a poem. No characters are named, and even their number is unspecified. It could be a journey through one person's mind, or an interview between a doctor and his patient.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"As compact and beautiful as a diamond in structure—and yet the mood it inspires is as black as coal."—Time Out

About the Author

Sarah Kane (1971 – 1999) was an English dramatist. She is best known for the extraordinary public controversy over Blasted, her first play which, like subsequent works from her, were shocking and defining moments in theater: explosive, theatrical, lyrical and laced with emotional power and bleak humor.

Product Details

• Paperback: 64 pages
• Publisher: Methuen Drama (January 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0413748308
• ISBN-13: 978-0413748300
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.1 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #535,305 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars this play is intense, May 14, 2005

By 

Litost x143 - See all my reviews

This review is from: 4.48 Psychosis (Paperback)

I've read many of Sarah Kane's plays...and hated them all. However, this specific play of hers hits so deaply at what it means to be truly depressed, it's scary. 4.48 psychosis represents 4:48 am, the time when most people commit suicide. This in itself show how horribly, and yet beautifully, intense this book is. In fact, this was Sarah Kane's last play before she committed suicide, very soon afterwards. The writing of the play is completely manifested to meet with the minds of those who are depressed, with words scattered across the page...repeated phrases...intense images...and much more. If you're trying to do a quick and easy play to this one, forget it. However, if you can ever find a way to make this play come alive on the stage, i'll travel anywhere to watch it. This book is for the lover of vocabulary, the person trying to find the perfect words to describe an intense emotion and sense of mind. This may be the one play that accomplishes it completely. It's short and worth it...I gauruntee it'll interest you.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a saner life tomorrow, November 30, 2005

By 

Bernd Kotz (Essen, Germany) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 4.48 Psychosis (Paperback)

I read the text three times this year and saw a german performance on stage. I think the text is difficult to perform because there is no real dialogue in the text. The play is like a poem to me. The more you read the text, the more you feel the rhythm of the words.
The play consists of an inner monologue about the feelings and experiences of Sarah Kane. This is intersected by a dialogue between her and a doctor. The central aspect of the play is the unanswered love to a person she will never meet. It causes the pain she describes in her monologue. Her medical treatment in hospital influences the drama. She wants to detach the body from the soul. In this moment she can only be by herself, especially when she cuts her arms. It gives her the energy to go on because she wants to live. In the end she hasn't got the strength to carry on because her love is unrequited. The psychosis on 4.48 in the morning is the result of the lack of happiness in her life. The problems she shows us in the text are common in everyone lives but it is not as extreme in ours as in hers.
After forty pages you feel a void and a desired to cease the tension. But you can't help it. Let Sarah go and don't idolize her.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully Sad Modern Drama, May 9, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: 4.48 Psychosis (Paperback)

Sarah Kane's drama, 4.48 Psychosis is a dark journey through the life of a mentally ill young woman. With no character names, loose dialogue, and not set the play weaves through internal and external monologues, displaying the pain,loneliness, and saddness that is the life of the mentally ill. This piece is ideal for those looking for an abstract modern play that can be done on a budget.