Winner of the 1984 Pulitzer Prize, David Mamet's scalding comedy is about small-time, cutthroat real esate salesmen trying to grind out a living by pushing plots of land on reluctant buyers in a never-ending scramble for their fair share of the American dream. Here is Mamet at his very best, writing with brutal power about the tough life of tough characters who cajole, connive, wheedle, and wheel and deal for a piece of the action -- where closing a sale can mean a brand new cadillac but losing one can mean losing it all. This masterpiece of American drama is now a major motion picture starring Al Pacino, Jack Lemmon, Alan Arkin, Alex Baldwain, Jonathan Pryce, Ed Harris, and Kevin Spacey.
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“The best new American play of the season. Wonderfully funny…a play to see, remember and cherish.” –Clive Barnes, New York Post
“The most exciting American play in years.” –Howard Kissel, Women’s Wear Daily
“One of his best plays. Crackling tension…ferocious comedy and drama. A top American playwright in bristling form.” –Frank Rich, The New York Times
“The most exciting American play in years.” –Howard Kissel, Women’s Wear Daily
“One of his best plays. Crackling tension…ferocious comedy and drama. A top American playwright in bristling form.” –Frank Rich, The New York Times
About the Author
David Mamet was born in Chicago in 1947. In 1978 he became Associate Artistic Director of the Goodman Theatre, Chicago, where American Buffalo had been first staged in 1975, subsequently winning an Obie Award and opening on Broadway in 1977 and at the National Theatre in 1978. His greatest hits, Glengarry Glen Ross and Oleanna followed in 1983 and 1993 respectively.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 21 people found the following review helpful
By Tyler Smith
Format:Paperback
"Glengarry Glen Ross" shows off to great effect the power of Mamet's language. Some readers may focus on the profanity -- and there is plenty of it -- but the profanity only serves to underscore the overwhelming anger that drives the characters in the play. Mamet's characters are bit players on a stage dominated by cockroach capitalism. It's a world that measures a man's worth solely by his ability to turn a buck, and if he can't do it, he's worthless. The characters know this, and they rail against this knowledge in venom-filled, machine-gun bursts of words.
Beyond the anger, however, the language derives its power from Mamet's much-discussed use of everyday rhythmic patterns of speech. Characters interrupt one another, leave thoughts unsaid, toss out cryptic ideas, and finish one another's sentences. It all sounds and feels absolutely real, and if you've ever tried to do it yourself, you know how difficult it is for a playwright to accomplish it.
In the end, Mamet's play presents a bleak world, yet it's a refreshing antidote to the cheerleading from the press and elsewhere that American business generally enjoys today. Mamet reveals the dark corners of small-time business, the petty jealousies, the insincere work relationships, the undisguised chauvanism, the phony macho posturing, and most of all the clear understanding among all concerned that the only measure of worth is the mark in the ledgerbook that says you made a sale. If most of the characters sound unsatisfied, it's because they are. Selling, the play says, is a hard way to make a living, and it comes at enormous spiritual cost.
I found the play's ending (which I won't give away) a bit unsatisfying and I can imagine that some readers might find the repitition in the dialogue tedious. Still, there is no denying, in my mind, the power of Mamet's vision and his devotion to his technique.
12 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
David Mamet's 1984 Pulitzer Prize winner "Glengarry Glen Ross" is an electrifying play filled with drama, tragedy, and bitter and sarcastic humor. This is a play that shows you the world of business and just how cold and calculating it can be. It also shows us just how cold and calculating human beings can be as well.
The play is about real estate salesmen who will do just about anything to get a sale. "Always Be Closing" is the motto to follow, however when they don't get the good leads they need, it makes it more difficult for them to close the deals. What's worse is that if they don't pick up the pace, more than one of them will find themselves out of the job. There are the "Glengarry Leads;" the premium leads, but they're reserved for closers only. Things take a dramatic turn when the office is broken into and the leads are nowhere to be found, leading us to a memorable climax.
I read the play after seeing the film. I enjoyed reading it just as much as I enjoyed seeing the movie. There are a few things that were added to the film version in order to make it a full length movie, but all of the important elements and classic lines are all there. Mamet has a great ear for dialogue and writes the way people talk. Sure, some people will think there's a lot of swearing and profanities, but this play is a reflection of the business world. And this is the way people talk. It is amazing how well written and structured it is.
"Glengarry Glen Ross" is a terrific drama and an enjoyable play to read. I recommend it to anyone who loves a great read. You'll have it finished in no time. The pages literally turn by themselves. Dripping with sharp dialogue, memorable characters, and quiet suspense and action, "Glengarry Glen Ross" is an outstanding achievement in American drama. Read this one as soon as you can.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
The film version of Mamet's play with Jack Lemmon and Al Pacino is incredible and having recently attended a production of this play in the West End of London I was intrigued by the slight differences between the screenplay and the original. That's what prompted me to purchase the play and read it.
Mamet's language is powerful and the cadences that he writes for his characters really drive the action and reveal truths about their characters in subtle yet absolute ways.
This particlar version has some great introductory material about Mamet's life and work as well as some critical analysis of the play that I found very enlightening. For me this was well worth the special order.
Mamet's language is powerful and the cadences that he writes for his characters really drive the action and reveal truths about their characters in subtle yet absolute ways.
This particlar version has some great introductory material about Mamet's life and work as well as some critical analysis of the play that I found very enlightening. For me this was well worth the special order.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great
This is a very easy and quick read. Powerful for its short length. I would and have recommended this product to others.
Published 3 months ago by bigcheese
4.0 out of 5 stars
Really really short read!
Something this famous and something this short should be read by everyone!
Has a great plot twist at the end!
Has a great plot twist at the end!
Published 4 months ago by Mike C
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Study Guide for Mamet Fans
I ordered this to study for a small role in a community theater production. So far, so good. It's interesting to see the playwright's words after seeing the film.
Published 5 months ago by Billy Fish
5.0 out of 5 stars
Stunning observation of dialogue and human interaction
I had heard friends of mine praising this man's work, but I didn't expect to find work of quite such extraordinary quality. Read more
Published on July 27, 2010 by James Taylor
5.0 out of 5 stars
As good in print as it is on the screen
Although I will always picture in my mind the absolutely stellar cast (Lemmon, Pacino, Harris, Arkin, Spacey, Baldwin, Pryce) from the 1992 New Line Cinema motion picture, I would... Read more
Published on April 26, 2010 by Jason Kirkfield
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brutal Salespeople, Superb Play
David Mamet is at his best with this Pulitzer-Prize winning play about cut-throat salesmen working on commission. Read more
Published on March 20, 2010 by K.A.Goldberg
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Master at the Height of His Powers...
Like Pinter, Mamet is the master not of just the words but the spaces between them; shapes the silence that holds the words together; and reveals the true (subconscious) forces... Read more
Published on December 22, 2008 by W.W.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Chicago Dog
There are only a few truly perfect things on this earth. A Chicago dog is one of them. There is nothing quite like it. This play is another little piece of perfection. Read more
Published on July 29, 2008 by David Schweizer
2.0 out of 5 stars
Swearing for the Sake of Swearing
Glengarry Glen Ross, a real estate sales firm run by contentious and pugnacious animals, connives innocent folks into buying land at above market value. Read more
Published on December 5, 2007 by J. Brescoll
4.0 out of 5 stars
nowhere near as good without Alec Baldwin
The Alec Baldwin scene that's in the movie version is not here in the play. As I understand it, the terrific Baldwin
scene was written later and made part of the screenplay... Read more
scene was written later and made part of the screenplay... Read more
Published on November 29, 2007 by Kirk Alex
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