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Quote by Edward Albee

“I've seen an awful lot of plays that I'd read before they were put into production and been shocked by what's happened to them. In the attempt to make them straightforward and commercially successful, a lot of things go out the window.”

Quote by Edward Albee

Book:Conversations with Edward Albee

Work

Conversations with Edward Albee

This book features in-depth conversations with Edward Albee, delving into his thoughts on theater, writing, and life. The discussions provide insights into Albee's creative process and the evolution of his work. more

Author

American playwright, known for his unique dramatic style and profound exploration of modern family relationships. Edward Albee's works often involve complex interpersonal relationships and moral dilemmas, and his plays hold a significant place in 20th-century American theater. more

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“In the theater, which is a sort of jungle, one does have to be a little bit careful. One mustn't be so rigid or egotistical to think that every comma is sacrosanct. But at the same time there is the danger of losing control and finding that somebody else has opened a play and not you.”

Thinking Littles Doe Play Bits Danger Findings Little Bit Losing Theater Careful Jungle Egotistical Losing Control

Book:Conversations with Edward Albee

Source: Conversations with Edward Albee

“Well, when I was six years old I decided, not that I was going to be, but with my usual modesty, that I was a writer.”

Years Wells Six Decided Usual Modesty Six Year Olds

Book:Conversations with Edward Albee

Source: Conversations with Edward Albee

“When I was fifteen I wrote seven hundred pages of an incredibly bad novel - it's a very funny book I still like a lot. Then, when I was nineteen I wrote a couple hundred pages of another novel, which wasn't very good either. I was still determined to be a writer. And since I was a writer, and here I was twenty-nine years old and I wasn't a very good poet and I wasn't a very good novelist, I thought I would try writing a play, which seems to have worked out a little better.”

Writing Trying Years Littles Stills Book Play Seems Novel Poet Couple Pages Hundred Twenties Seven Very Good Determined Nine Novelists Fifteen Nine Years Nineteen Funny Book

Book:Conversations with Edward Albee

Source: Conversations with Edward Albee

“A lot interests me - but nothing surprises me particularly.”

Interest Surprise Surprise Me

Book:Conversations with Edward Albee

Source: Conversations with Edward Albee

“I suppose if you simplify things, it's going to make it easier to understand.”

Ifs Easier Simplify

Book:Conversations with Edward Albee

Source: Conversations with Edward Albee

“I think it is the responsibility of critics to rely less strenuously on, to use a Hollywood phrase, "what they can live with," and more on an examination of the works of art from an aesthetic and clinical point of view.”

Thinking Art Use Views Responsibility Hollywood Critics Point Of View Phrases Rely Works Of Art Aesthetic Examination Clinicals

Book:Conversations with Edward Albee

Source: Conversations with Edward Albee

“The ultimate judgment of a work of art, whether it be a masterpiece or a lesser event, must be solely in terms of its artistic success and not on Freudian guesswork.”

Art Term Events Judgment Ultimate Artistic Works Of Art Masterpiece Guesswork

Book:Conversations with Edward Albee

Source: Conversations with Edward Albee

“I don't pay much attention to how the plays relate thematically to each other. I think that's very dangerous to do, because in the theater one is self-conscious enough without planning ahead or wondering about the thematic relation from one play to the next. One hopes that one is developing, and writing interestingly, and that's where it should end, I think.”

Source: Conversations with Edward Albee

“I do think, or rather I sense that there is a relationship - at least in my own work - between a dramatic structure, the form and sound and shape of a play, and the equivalent structure in music. Both deal with sound, of course, and also with idea, theme.”

Thinking Ideas Play Form Courses Sound My Own Deals Shapes Structure Dramatic Theme

Book:Conversations with Edward Albee

Source: Conversations with Edward Albee

“I find that when my plays are going well, they seem to resemble pieces of music. But if I had to go into specifics about it, I wouldn't be able to. It's merely something that I feel.”

Ifs Feels Wells Play Seems Able Pieces Specifics

Book:Conversations with Edward Albee

Source: Conversations with Edward Albee