Purgatorio [Paperback]

Ariel Dorfman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 29, 2006

West End opening for world premiere of new play by the author of Death and the Maiden - starring Rupert Graves A Man and a Woman - who are timeless versions of the mythical Jason and Medea - have entered purgatory: a soul-less white room. Each is interrogated in turn by the other. Each has to reach a state of forgiveness and contrition before they can leave purgatory and 'move on'. In the course of all this the Medea 'story' is reprised - particularly from her point of view. An outstanding moment is when she recalls - with terrible reality - how she actually killed her children: including the horrifying decision as to which one to kill first (while the other looks on). Purgatory is like Sartre's Huis Clos rewritten by Kafka. The whole play has a hypnotic, mesmeric, circular quality: the end links up to the beginning in a seamless round. It is a play brimming with ideas, blending myth with multifold literary references. There has been nothing as serious and ambitious on the London stage for years.

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About the Author

Ariel Dorfman is a Chilean citizen who was forced into exile in the USA after the 1973 coup that overthrew Allende. The author of plays such as Death and the Maiden, Reader and Widows, he is also an acclaimed novelist and political commentator. He is currently a Professor at Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Nick Hern Books (September 29, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1854596691
• ISBN-13: 978-1854596697
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 4.9 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #451,027 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)