Saint Joan of the Stockyards [Paperback]

Bertolt Brecht (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 10, 1998

Joan of Arc is Joan Dark in SAINT JOAN OF THE STOCKYARDS, Bertolt Brecht's first major political drama for the commercial theater. A virtuous knight in a Christian army of salvation, she makes the stockyards her field of battle when she clashes with Pierpoint Mauler, meat king and philanthropist, over the heart of business and the soul of labor.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“At last—the definitive translations of one of the 20th century’s most influential playwrights…Far superior to the competition.”—Theatre Journal

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: German

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Arcade Publishing (August 10, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1559704209
• ISBN-13: 978-1559704205
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #871,961 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Brechts greatest Chicago play, December 27, 2000

By 

Stefan Brun (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Saint Joan of the Stockyards (Paperback)

This play, one of Brecht's best if least known, is perhaps the first postmodern classic. It combines the dramaturgy of a tragedy and a comedy and a passion play. It makes an attempt (years before todays financial tv programs) to make the market and its affairs excitingly dramatic. This new translation by Ralph Manheim, arguably Brecht's most accomplished translator, does much to save the text from earlier mistranslations. This year (2001) there will be an all star performance of the new translation in Chicago, the city in whose Stockyards and at whose Board of Trade the Play was originally set. This could be the seminal Brecht performance of the year!

1 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars St Joan of the Stockyards- Bertolt Brecht, March 5, 2001

By 

Larissa Ashton (Port Lincoln, South Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Saint Joan of the Stockyards (Paperback)

St Joan is one of Brecht's less well-known plays. Set in Chicago, it is the story of Joan Dark and is the modern version of the biblical story, Joan of Arc. Joan is a leader of a religious group, the Black Straw Hats. Throughout the play, she preaches to common-folk and the "meat kings" of Chigago, namely Mauler, Cridle and Lennox. Although criticised, her support for the needy is much appeciated. The play consists of lots of monologues, linked by short sections of dialogue. Joan uses biblical phrases and terms in her preaching such as "Oh ye of little faith" and words like "ordain" and "salvation". The structure of this play makes it ideal to be used for monolgues, after a bit of editing.