The establishment of the new National Theatre of Scotland has revived interest in
Scottish drama, both at home and around the world. James Bridie is one of
Scotland’s greatest playwrights, and one of the leading British dramatists of
the 20th century. His work is a celebration of the human spirit, its mixture of
‘dirt and deity’, the opposition of appearance and reality, the
deflation of pretension and the investigation of moral dilemmas, all presented with
irony, wit and serious levity.
This collection of five acting scripts has been thoroughly corrected and re-set, and
brings some of Bridie’s greatest works back into the public domain. Dr
Carruthers’ extensive introduction provides an essential critical background
to Bridie’s life and work, and the comprehensive notes make the plays more
accessible and enjoyable.
CONTENTS
Introduction
THE SUNLIGHT SONATA (1928)
THE ANATOMIST (1933)
A SLEEPING CLERGYMAN (1933)
MR BOLFRY (1943)
DAPHNE LAUREOLA (1949)
Notes
Dr Gerard Carruthers is a Reader in the Department of Scottish Literature at
the University of Glasgow. He is editor of the new Everyman edition of Robert
Burns’ poems. He co-edited English Romanticism and the Celtic World
and Beyond Scotland: New Contexts for Twentieth Century Scottish Literature.
Cover illustration: Alastair Sim as Dr Knox in The Anatomist
(Westminster Theatre, London, 1948).
Photograph by Houston Rogers. Reproduced by permission of V&A
Images/Theatre Museum.
Cover design: Mark Blackadder
Last updated 9 August 2010.
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