The Cryptogram. [Paperback]

David Mamet (Author), David Mamet (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1998

"I suspect that in time, The Cryptogram will take its place among Mamet's major works" John Lahr "Mamet's play suggests that deception is an endless spiralling process that eventually corrodes the soul. But it also harps on a theme that runs right throughout Mamet's work: the notion that we use words as a destructive social camouflage to lie to others and ourselves...And here through all the repetitions, half sentences and echoing encounter of one question with another, you feel the characters devalue experience through their use of language. As Del cries in desperation at the end, 'If we could speak the truth for one instant, then we would be free.' Mamet's point is that we are held spiritually captive by our bluster and evasions." (Michael Billington, The Guardian)"Dense with thought, feeling and hard psychological insight...There is no spare flesh on this text: words, objects, images interlock in mutual dependence which is both natural and superbly contrived." (John Peter Sunday Times)

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“First-rate…spooky, elliptical, full of wit. . . . Not in any stage literature that I know has childhood been as movingly evoked as it is in The Cryptogram.” —Vincent Canby, The New York Times
 
“Heart stopping. . . . Where other dramatists are writing melodrama about the dysfunctional family, Mamet has written high tragedy.” —Iris Fanger, The Boston Herald
 
“Powerful. . . . His most personal work. . . . A whodunit with the it waiting to happen. . . . Spooky and exciting.” —Jack Kroll, Newsweek
 
“Daring, dark, complex, brilliant. . . . I suspect that in time it will take its place among Mamet’s major works.” —John Lahr, The New Yorker
  --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From the Inside Flap

In this gripping family tragedy, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Glengarry Glen Ross endows ordinary language with Hitchcockian menace and Kafkaesque powers of disorientation. This intriguing play is a journey back into childhood and the moment of its vanishing--the moment when the sheltering world is suddenly revealed as a place full of dangers. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 72 pages
• Publisher: Dramatists Play Service, Inc. (January 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0822214954
• ISBN-13: 978-0822214953
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #997,501 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

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

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Maybe my favorite Mamet, June 16, 2001

By 

"syc658" (Kalamazoo, Michigan United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Cryptogram (Paperback)

It's too bad this doesn't get the same recognition that Mamet's other works, esp. Glengarry Glen Ross, Speed-the-Plow, and American Buffalo get. I can only agree with the critic cited on the back who believes that "in time it will take its place among Mamet's major works."

Whereas so many of Mamet's other plays seem to be about the same thing but just given different titles (again, StP, GGR, AB) -- and don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking the "F***ing Master," as David Ives refers to him, but think about it, I'm right! -- The Crypotogram is completely uncharacteristic Mamet. It isn't necessarily doing what Mamet does best i.e. capitalism, but nonetheless, I think it's breathtaking.

The construction of the Cryptogram seems so fragile. As only Mamet can do with language, such a compelling spell is created, and it's undeniably intriguing -- the different worlds of adult language vs. children's language. Who has even given such thought to the idea? The idea that "grownups are speaking in code, and that that code may never be breakable" is established so subtly that at first I thought I missed it, I kept waiting for some more concrete dividing line -- but therein is Mamet's gift. To actually hear the language that Del and Donny speak as an adult, while simultaneously imagining hearing it as John might reveals this "code," and it is somewhat unsettling -- just the idea that such a difference exists. Certainly a clever illustration not only of how language can be interpreted differently, but of language's power in general -- to empower, persuade, dissuade, enlighten, shield, to keep in the dark, to be used as a weapon, or as defense, to conceal, and to reveal.

Perhaps one of Mamet's darkest plays, but well-written (so often a rarity) and full of ideas.

Incidentally, I'm a college student and would love to direct this play for my senior project, except it requires a 9 yr old of extraordinary talent, which seem to be in short supply on college campuses.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Cryptogram of a Play, March 17, 2003

By 

J. Ott "John Ott" (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Cryptogram (Paperback)

This is a strange, elliptical play. I did not enjoy it as much as some of the other Mamet maniacs here, but I will admit that, in the months since I've read it, I just can't get it out of my head.

A lot of this play exists in the subtext of the language and in Mamet's clever "uses of the knife." Since it is very hard to imagine it off the page, much of the time it seems like nothing is happening. I would like to see the play performed, but I think it is unlikely. Finding a ten-year-old who can pull off such a complicated role is probably too much of a headache for most theater producers.

This play is, yes, different than a Glen Garry or American Buffalo. But it is still full of Mamet. If the maestro floats your boat, go for it.

7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Horror: as seen through the eyes of David Mamet, January 31, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Cryptogram (Paperback)

Amazing! I've read it through 8 or 9 times and keep rediscovering more of the mysteries imbedded in this complex work. Mamet peruses the rhythmic dialogue he explored in Oleanna, with a complementary view on the intellect of a 10 year old child. Act 1 involves the child's insomnia as he prepares for a camping trip with his father, whom is very late in coming home from the office. As the story progresses the boys restlessness becomes frenzied, while the mother discusses old times with a friend of the family. Past reflections turn to indictments and evidence, as the fathers absence becomes menacing. And old friend may not be what they seem. A MUST READ!