Three Uses of the Knife

What makes good drama? How does drama matter in our lives? One of America's most respected writers reminds us of the secret powers of the play. Pulitzer Prize-winner David Mamet celebrates the absolute necessity of drama — and the experience of great plays — in our lurching attempts to make sense of ourselves and our world.

Library Journal

One of America's leading living playwrights has crafted three short essays beginning with the premise that it is our nature to dramatize. The belief in the centrality of drama to our daily lives and the centrality of our daily lives to good drama is the recurrent theme of his ruminations here. While he disdains the current vogue for problem plays, he avoids attacking any of his contemporaries or their works. And without offering a how-to guide for aspiring playwrights, he provides some interesting thoughts on the inevitable difficulty in creating a convincing second act. Known and respected for his ability to create hyperrealistic dialog, Mamet ultimately reveals the theoretical justification for the sort of drama he writes so well. The text reads a bit like a lecture and never quite convinces the reader that this is a fundamental redefinition of drama. Still, it will be compelling to students of theater and serves as a good companion to Mamet's advice to actors, True and False (LJ 10/1/97). Recommended for academic and large public libraries.Douglas McClemont, New York