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Six Characters in Search of an Author Kindle Edition

4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 188 ratings

First performed in 1921 with Romans calling out 'Madhouse!' from the audience, "Six Characters in Search of an Author" has remained the most famous and innovative of Pirandello's plays. Often labeled a satirical tragicomedy, this play initiated the anti-illusionism movement of the early twentieth century, rejecting realism in favor of a more symbolic, dreamlike quality. When an acting company's rehearsal is interrupted by six family members who wish their life story to be enacted, the result is a masterpiece in the exploration of the nature of human personality. Both popular and controversial, this play blurred the lines of reality and illusion in unpredictable ways, ultimately influencing later playwrights like Beckett and Sartre with its bizarre blending of theatrical qualities. Such is the eloquence and depth of Pirandello's body of work that he was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1934, just two years before his death, an honor worthy of a playwright whose plays had a subtle if profound impact on much of the t

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A man will die, a writer, the instrument of creation: but what he has created will never die! And to be able to to live for ever you don't need to have extraordinary gifts or be able to do miracles. Who was Sancho Panza? Who was Prospero? But they will live for ever because - living seeds - they had the luck to find a fruitful soil, an imagination which knew how to grow them and feed them, so that they will live for ever." (a quote from the play)

Six Chracters in Search of An Author askS the question, can fictional characters be more authentic than real persons, and what is the relationship between imaginary characters and the writer, who has created them.

About the Author

Niclas Olson's adaptations of Shakespeare's HAMLET, ROMEO AND JULIET, Christopher Marlowe's DOCTOR FAUSTUS, August Strindberg's MISS JULIE, Luigi Pirandello's SIX CHARACTERS IN SEARCH OF AN AUTHOR, Henrik Ibsen's GHOSTS and A DOLL'S HOUSE were commissioned and performed by New Muses Theatre Company. His original plays LAST WALTZ ON A MIDNIGHT VIOLIN and DIRTY LAUNDRY have been staged at Pacific Lutheran University. He studied playwriting in London and received his degree in theatre from Pacific Lutheran University. Luigi Pirandello was an Italian novelist, playwright and poet. His major plays include RIGHT YOU ARE (IF YOU THINK YOU ARE); HENRY IV; THE RULES OF THE GAME; TONIGHT WE IMPROVISE; and THE MAN WITH THE FLOWER IN HIS MOUTH. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1934 and is considered one of the forerunners of the absurdist theatre movement.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B003TU1OOE
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Digireads.com (June 24, 2010)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 24, 2010
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 208 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 82 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 188 ratings

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Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
188 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book imaginative and clever. They describe it as an interesting read with philosophical content. Many readers enjoy reading it and consider it worth going through. However, some find the pacing slow and the characters uncontrollable. Opinions differ on the language quality, with some finding it well-written and immersive, while others mention stilted or poor translation.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

9 customers mention "Readability"9 positive0 negative

Customers find the book an imaginative classic written by an author with a clever and interesting style. They describe it as clever, creative, and unusual. Readers mention that it represents one of the better literary works of the time period. The play within a book makes for an unusual reading experience. While some readers feel the philosophizing can be lengthy, they consider the book a refreshing revisit to a classic work.

"...for production, this is in public domain, settings are minimal yet creative, a plentiful cast and two "intermissions" that allow audience to..." Read more

"...many of the problems central to his writing: the nature of the creative process, the conflict between art and life, the relativity of truth, and the..." Read more

"A classic by an extremely imaginative author. It is translated from Italian which is evident at places in somewhat stilted language...." Read more

"I am glad that I read this classic. It was clever but a little boring." Read more

4 customers mention "Enjoyment"4 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy reading the book. They find it well-written and worth reading.

"...Well written and enjoyable as it is painful to read." Read more

"I enjoyed reading this play. I'd love to see it performed on stage." Read more

"...unusual reading but it is one of Pirandello's masterpieces so worth going through." Read more

"Excellent book" Read more

12 customers mention "Language quality"7 positive5 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the language quality. Some find it well-written, witty, and funny. Others mention stilted, poor translation, old-fashioned, and verbose language that makes for unusual reading.

"...Conversely, this is also a great read and is moving and funny as so; it feeds needs even if you've no intention of mounting a production." Read more

"...But quite readable excepting of course the complex and often ambiguous relationships among the characters." Read more

"A play within a book. Makes for unusual reading but it is one of Pirandello's masterpieces so worth going through." Read more

"...Well written and enjoyable as it is painful to read." Read more

5 customers mention "Pacing"0 positive5 negative

Customers find the book's pacing slow. They mention that various characters get out of control and lose control. Some find it clever but boring and depressing.

"...readable excepting of course the complex and often ambiguous relationships among the characters." Read more

"I am glad that I read this classic. It was clever but a little boring." Read more

"...In this classic the various characters get out of hand - they cannot be controlled!" Read more

"Honestly, I found it just too depressing and the language too old fashioned and verbose to be very enjoyable, though it was undoubtedly well written." Read more

Odd, existential, funny
4 out of 5 stars
Odd, existential, funny
I enjoyed reading this play. I'd love to see it performed on stage.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on April 29, 2016
    Pirandello's most famous play reads and plays as though it was written today. A "concept" play that looks at the "life imitates art" concept quite literally.
    A family arrives at a theatre requiring actors and an author to adequately tell their despondent story and Pirandello shows art v commerce as the family, emotionally driven by truth, trying to find satisfaction in having their told by commercially driven creators and ego driven actors. The dramatic conclusion is made more powerful by the reaction of the theatre company.
    As a choice for production, this is in public domain, settings are minimal yet creative, a plentiful cast and two "intermissions" that allow audience to stretch and reflect in conjunction with continued action of the play during which the actors continue living, just off stage for ten to fifteen minutes; the two intervals are part of the action. The play can be set in the original period or adjusted to be set today with lap-tops and iPhones. Requiring age ranges of 5 to 60, student actors work just as well.
    Conversely, this is also a great read and is moving and funny as so; it feeds needs even if you've no intention of mounting a production.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2024
    Pirandello's brilliant play that exemplifies many of the problems central to his writing: the nature of the creative process, the conflict between art and life, the relativity of truth, and the evanescence of identity.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2017
    A classic by an extremely imaginative author. It is translated from Italian which is evident at places in somewhat stilted language. But quite readable excepting of course the complex and often ambiguous relationships among the characters.
    One person found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on November 9, 2018
    I am glad that I read this classic. It was clever but a little boring.
    One person found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on March 12, 2013
    Existentialism at its best in this play. Six lost characters looking to play out the drama of their lives find a manager willing to hear them out, but he can't possibly grasp the reality of their situation. Well written and enjoyable as it is painful to read.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2022
    This was a good quality PDF and wonderful translation from Italian. It’s unfortunate that the plot is so terrible.
  • Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2017
    Pirandello asks us to consider the idea that we are looking for an author to write, or rewrite our lives. But we each want to be our own author, characters and actors with complete control of our story. In this classic the various characters get out of hand - they cannot be controlled!
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on September 21, 2012
    I have been seeing references to "six characters in search of an author" since 1962! It was high time I actually read the damned thing. The book that I ordered and read on my Kindle was exactly what I was looking for. If you are a fan of Pirandello, Brecht, or Beckett, go for it.
    2 people found this helpful
    Report

Top reviews from other countries

  • Sarah
    5.0 out of 5 stars Pretty Good
    Reviewed in Canada on September 26, 2019
    had to read this book for my ital. lit. class and was pretty good. Came in good condition and easy to read.
  • Brijesh
    5.0 out of 5 stars Nice buy
    Reviewed in India on November 28, 2014
    Nice book good quality bit costly
  • Patrick Neylan
    5.0 out of 5 stars Post-modernism in the 21st Century
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 2, 2011
    Luigi Pirandello's 1921 masterpiece was a pioneering piece of post-modernist theatre (which Webster's dictionary defines as, among other things, "typically characterized by ... ironic self-reference and absurdity"). It is beloved of drama schools, but as a piece of entertainment it's getting a bit dated now. This new (2007) version, by Ben Power and Rupert Goold (who directed the Stalinist Macbeth shown on BBC last year) brings the play right up to date, including topical issues that Pirandello never dreamt of.

    In this version, the play rehearsal of the original is replaced by a team of film-makers creating a documentary about assisted suicide. From a staging point of view, this means that screens are required on stage to display pre-recorded content. For an amateur drama society, that makes it very challenging in terms of staging, not to mention the difficult content (when I directed it last month, we had half a dozen people walk out and one serious letter of complaint, while others said it was the best thing they had ever seen. Alan Ayckbourn it isn't).

    I can't imagine an amateur society performing this play in its entirety without changes. My version omitted the suicide of the boy (try persuading a parent to let their 10-year old commit suicide on stage using a hypodermic needle), while the sex scene between the Father and the Stepdaughter is a very difficult thing to stage tastefully. The discussion between the Theatre-Makers and the Exec also has to be made specific to your actual production.

    Goold and Power have added a wholly new fourth act, where the post-modernist absurdity spirals off into strange territory, with a DVD commentary on the play that the audience has just seen and a discussion of how it is to be staged, followed by a conversation between Pirandello himself and his house-keeper on how to finish the play.

    Six Characters challenges us to examine how we view reality. The film-makers claim to be holding "the mirror up to nature", but recent controversies have shown that television reality is even more compromised than fiction (Peter Fincham, referenced in the script, is the BBC Controller forced to resign over footage that misleadingly seemed to show the Queen storming out of an interview in 2007).

    As the play progresses, we are seduced by the idea that fiction is actually more real than any reality we can perceive. We grow up, we grow old, we die. Our hair turns grey, our opinions shift, we swap Socialist Worker for the Daily Telegraph. Reality changes but fiction is eternal, and once a character's story is told he takes on a life of his own.

    For all its unsettling tragedy, Six Characters has a great deal of humour. But more than that, it celebrates the triumph of fiction and the creative imagination. Hamlet might not be real, but he shows us more about ourselves than Jerry Springer or Wife Swap ever will.
  • Amy_94
    4.0 out of 5 stars Good
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 7, 2014
    The introduction / Publisher's notes are very helpful in contextualisation and for the author's background. I'd recommend this edition to anyone intending to study the play.
  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Company rating
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 13, 2022
    I was most impressed with the service from Carnforth Books, delivery was as stated, the book was well packaged & condition excellent.

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