Description
Book SynopsisAs a cultural phenomenon of the Silver Age, the Crooked Mirror deserves critical attention, yet it has received only fleeting mention in histories of Russian theatre. This anthology fills a gap in our understanding of that heady era by bringing together key plays with short biographies of their authors and robust commentary and annotations.
Trade Review“This is a dynamic, distinctive, and meticulous examination of a modernist Russian cabaret, written elegantly and authoritatively. The original translations beautifully capture the stylistic differences of each work and colloquialisms imbedded in their context.” - Julia Listengarten, author of
Russian Tragifarce: Its Cultural and Political RootsTable of ContentsIntroduction
Anchar Mantsenilov (Prince Mikhail Volkonsky), with music by Vladimir Erenberg
Biography and Introduction
Vampuka, or the Bride of Africa (1909)
The Guest Star (1910)
Leonid Andreev
Biography and Introduction
Love Thy Neighbor (1909)
The Lovely Sabine Women (1911)
Aleksandr Kugel’
Biography and Introduction
A Little Night Music (1910).
Pyotr Potyomkin
Biography and Introduction
Shall We Let Down the Curtain? (1911)
Boris Geyer
Biography and Introduction
The Evolution of the Theatre (1910)
Memories (1911)
The Water of Life (1911)
What They Say, What They Think (1914)
Nikolay Evreinov
Biography and Introduction
Backstage at the Soul (1912)
The Inspector General (1912)
The Fourth Wall (1916)
Nikolay Urvantsov
Biography and Introduction
Man’s Fate (1915)
Afterword
Notes
List of Sources
