Based on the story of Job, this drama in verse tells the story of a twentieth-century American banker and millionaire whom God commands be stripped of his family and wealth, but who refuses to turn his back on God. J.B. won the Pulitzer Prize for drama in 1959 and the Tony Award for best play. More important, the play sparked a national conversation about the nature of God, the meaning of hope, and the role of the artist in society.
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About the Author
Archibald MacLeish was born in Glencoe, Illinois in 1892. He attended Yale University and served in World War I. Later, he went to Harvard Law School and practiced law in Boston for a few years until he gave it up and moved to Paris with his wife and children to devote all his time to writing poetry. He returned to the United States to research the Spanish conquest of Mexico, and the result, CONQUISTADOR (1932), won him a Pulitzer Prize. From 1920-1939, he was a member of the editorial board of FORTUNE magazine and he served as Librarian of Congress from 1929 to 1944. MacLeish's COLLECTED POEMS (1952) won a Pulitzer Prize and his poetic drama, J.B. based on the Book of Job, was a Broadway success in 1957.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A landmark achievement,
By
This review is from: J.B.: A Play in Verse (Paperback)
MacLeish's pulitzer prize winning verse play sets the Old Testament book of Job in a semi-satirical modern setting (a circus tent), where JB (Job) undergoes his trials under the watchful eyes of the circus vendors Zuss and Nickles, who mimic the roles of God and Satan, respectively. JB's plight is essentially a play within a play, as the focus of the work tends to be the interactions between Zuss and Nickles. MacLeish raises the eternal questions through these powerful scenes, most notably with the recurring jingle of Nickles: "If God is God he is not good; if God is good He is not God..." Readers of this play are forced to address the questions themselves while they are entertained and challenged by the proposals of the characters and the Biblical parallels they represent.
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
JB and Job,
By JimB (London, OH United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: J.B.: A Play in Verse (Paperback)
This play in verse is a modern take on one of the timeless questions of suffering during our lives.In this instance,JB loses his wealth, health and family and during the ensuing discussions with his "friends", it beomes evident that the story is not about suffering, but about faith.Very powerful,but short, descriptive scenes and dialogue.
8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A landmark achievement,
By
This review is from: J.B.: A Play in Verse (Paperback)
MacLeish's pulitzer prize winning verse play sets the Old Testament book of Job in a semi-satirical modern setting (a circus tent), where JB (Job) undergoes his trials under the watchful eyes of the circus vendors Zuss and Nickles, who mimic the roles of God and Satan, respectively. JB's plight is essentially a play within a play, as the focus of the work tends to be the interactions between Zuss and Nickles. MacLeish raises the eternal questions through these powerful scenes, most notably with the recurring jingle of Nickles: "If God is God he is not good; if God is good He is not God..." Readers of this play are forced to address the questions themselves while they are entertained and challenged by the proposals of the characters and the Biblical parallels they represent.
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
The scene throughout is a corner inside an enormous circus tent where a side show of some kind has been set up. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
canvas sky Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Big Boy, The God-shadow New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
The scene throughout is a corner inside an enormous circus tent where a side show of some kind has been set up. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
canvas sky Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Big Boy, The God-shadow New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 2
books:
- Poetry and Experience by Archibald MacLeish in Front Matter
- Collected Poems by Archibald MacLeish in Front Matter
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