The Beggar's Opera [Hardcover]

Vaclav Havel (Author), Paul Wilson (Translator), Peter Steiner (Introduction)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Czech Republic President Havel's 1975 adaptation of British dramatist John Gay's 1728 political satire, The Beggar's Opera, and other subversive works made him a blacklisted dissenter in the Czech Communist regime. Translated here by Wilson, who has rendered many of Havel's works in English, the play's 14 quick scenes depart from Gay's original ballad in three ways: its style is colloquial, its tone is comic, and its subplots are different. The political overtones remain sharp, as the play satirizes collectivism, lack of individual identity and freedom, and the mistrust and corruption prevalent in Communist Czechoslovakia. The bigamous hero-rogue Captain Macheath saves his neck by joining the wheeling-and-dealing, double-crossing practices of the underworld, while pickpocket Havey Filch remains true to himself until death. In the introduction, Peter Stein (Univ. of Pennsylvania) provides an analysis of the play in its literary and political context. He also details the play's November 1, 1975 premier, which was secretly staged near Prague, and the consequent political persecution. Also included are 11 black-and-white photographs of the premier. Highly recommended for both academic and public libraries. Ming-ming Shen Kuo, Ball State Univ. Lib., Muncie, ID
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Written in the mid-'70s, a time when the Czech government forbade Havel to produce his own work, his wry translation of John Gay's eighteenth-century hit was created to circumvent the ban. In adapting the work, Havel borrowed a page from Brecht and emphasized the political subtext about the London underworld in Gay's play. Unlike Brecht in The Threepenny Opera, Havel did not follow Gay and use music in his version. Instead, he focused on the element of Gay's play that was most subversive in Soviet-dominated Czechoslovakia--the tangled web of relations between the authorities and the criminal class. In Havel's witty version, translated into supple, graceful English by Wilson, every father is a pimp and a thief, every mother a madam, and every daughter a prostitute. No wonder the Czech authorities were not amused when they discovered who was behind this new version of Gay's classic. Jack Helbig
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 84 pages
• Publisher: Cornell Univ Pr (March 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801438330
• ISBN-13: 978-0801438332
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 6.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #854,192 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.