He Who Gets Slapped and Other Plays (Paperback)

~ Walter Wykes (Author), Leonid Andreyev (Author)
Key Phrases: who gets slapped, The Baron, Madame Xena, Count Mancini

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Leonid Andreyev was once considered one of Russia's greatest dramatists, but his opposition to the Bolshevik Revolution and the Communist government's unilateral support of naturalism on the stage conspired to undermine his career. He was imprisoned, died in poverty, and has become increasingly obscure. Andreyev is symbolic and romantic. Fate and Chance are the two dark, unknown, at times brutal forces which dwell ever before his mind's eye. He sees human beings in the form of ghosts and ghosts in the form of human beings. Andreyev's best-known play, "He Who Gets Slapped" tells the story of a famous writer who takes a job as a circus clown in order to escape his past. In this carnival of human outcasts, Andreyev fashions a meaningful portrait of an intellectual's struggle to exist in a world ruled by Fate, Chance, and the almighty dollar. Also included are two extraordinarily haunting plays adapted from Andreyev's short stories: "Call of the Revolution" and "The Serpent's Tale."

Product Details

• Paperback: 84 pages
• Publisher: Lulu.com (May 18, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1430320559
• ISBN-13: 978-1430320555
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #703,380 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great adapatation of an important playwright!, June 8, 2007

By	Joseph Zeccola (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

With his new adaptation of Andreyev's most famous work, "He Who Gets Slapped," Walter Wykes has restored an important voice to the theater. Through Wykes, the imagery, tragedy and drama of Andreyev is brought to the page in a modern form, while maintaining the force and romanticism that was his hallmark. One hopes these great new adaptations will lead to many new productions of Andreyev's work, allowing audiences to again hear the voice of a great playwright who was silenced by politics long before his time.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars He Who Gets Slapped, January 18, 2008

By	Jay Prefontaine (Charleston, Illinois USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Thank you Amazon for making this play available. And thank you whoever is responsible for reproducing, republishing this fine work. This play is an important piece of world literature, and I cannot believe I found it. The book is well done and attractive to boot. What a treasure.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Unnecessarily Adapted, January 13, 2008

By	Matt (Pittsburgh,PA) - See all my reviews

Lacking the poetry, mysticism, and expressionistic beauty of other English translations of Andreyev's He Who Gets Slapped, Wykes adaptation brings nothing new to this masterpiece. Rather he takes away from it. The tone, pace, and beauty of Andreyev's play have been watered down seemingly for no good reason. Admirers of He Who Gets Slapped should only read this to see what happens when one tampers with a good thing.

Try He Who Gets Slapped instead.