Six Characters in Search of an Author is an Italian play by Luigi Pirandello, written and first performed in 1921. It is an absurdist metatheatrical play about the relationship among authors, their characters, and theatre practitioners.
It was premiered at the Teatro Valle in Rome to a mixed reception, with shouts from the audience of "Madhouse!"...More
Luigi Pirandello (Italian: [luˈiːdʒi piranˈdɛllo]; 28 June 1867 – 10 December 1936) was an Italian dramatist, novelist, poet, and short story writer whose greatest contributions were his plays.[1] He was awarded the 1934 Nobel Prize in Literature for "his almost magical power to turn psychological analysis into good theatre."[2] Pirandello's works include novels, hundreds of short stories, and about 40 plays, some of which are written in Sicilian. Pirandello's tragic farces are often seen as forerunners of the Theatre of the Absurd.
Luigi Pirandello (Italian: [luˈiːdʒi piranˈdɛllo]; 28 June 1867 – 10 December 1936) was an Italian dramatist, novelist, poet, and short story writer whose greatest contributions were his plays.[1] He was awarded the 1934 Nobel Prize in Literature for "his almost magical power to turn psychological analysis into good theatre."[2] Pirandello's works include novels, hundreds of short stories, and about 40 plays, some of which are written in Sicilian. Pirandello's tragic farces are often seen as forerunners of the Theatre of the Absurd.
Book Summary
Six Characters in Search of an Author is an Italian play by Luigi Pirandello, written and first performed in 1921. It is an absurdist metatheatrical play about the relationship among authors, their characters, and theatre practitioners.
It was premiered at the Teatro Valle in Rome to a mixed reception, with shouts from the audience of "Madhouse!" and "incomprehensible!", a reaction to the play's illogical progression. Reception improved at subsequent performances, especially after Pirandello provided a foreword clarifying its structure and ideas.
Plot: An acting company prepares to rehearse the play Mixing it Up by Luigi Pirandello. As the rehearsal is about to begin, they are unexpectedly interrupted by the arrival of six strange people. The Director of the play, furious at the interruption, demands an explanation. The Father explains that they are unfinished characters in search of an author to finish their story. The Director initially believes them to be mad, but as they begin to argue among themselves and reveal details of their story, he begins to listen…
Luigi Pirandello
