Popular European Drama Books
Find drama books written by authors from Europe for the next part of the Read Around The World Challenge. (42)
31.
Reigen by Arthur Schnitzler DE
AustriaDescription:
"Reigen" ist ein Bühnenstück von Arthur Schnitzler. Die Uraufführung fand am 23. Dezember 1920 am Kleinen Schauspielhaus in Berlin statt und war einer der größten Theaterskandale des 20. Jahrhunderts. Das Stück schildert in zehn erotischen Dialogen die "unerbittliche Mechanik des Beischlafs" (der im Stück selbst nicht gezeigt wird) und sein Umfeld von Macht, Verführung, Sehnsucht, Enttäuschung und das Verlangen nach Liebe. Es zeichnet ein Bild der Moral in der Gesellschaft des Fin de siècle und durchwandert dabei in einem Reigen alle sozialen Schichten vom Proletariat bis zur Aristokratie. Das... continue
Ireland33.
Shosha by Isaac Bashevis Singer EN
PolandDescription:
It is Warsaw in the 1930s. Aaron Greidinger is an aspiring young writer and the son of a rabbi, who struggles to be true to his art when he is faced with the chance of riches and a passport to America. But as the Nazis threaten to invade Poland, Aaron rediscovers Shosha, his childhood sweetheart - still living on Krochmalna Street, still strangely childlike - who has been waiting for him all these years. In the face of unimaginable horror, he chooses to stay... One of Isaac Bashevis Singer's most personal works, Shosha is an unforgettable novel about conflicted desires, lost lives and the rede... continue
34.
Skylark by Dezso Kosztolanyi EN
HungaryDescription:
It is 1900, give or take a few years. The Vajkays—call them Mother and Father—live in Sárszeg, a dead-end burg in the provincial heart of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Father retired some years ago to devote his days to genealogical research and quaint questions of heraldry. Mother keeps house. Both are utterly enthralled with their daughter, Skylark. Unintelligent, unimaginative, unattractive, and unmarried, Skylark cooks and sews for her parents and anchors the unremitting tedium of their lives. Now Skylark is going away, for one week only, it’s true, but a week that yawns endlessly for her p... continue
35.
The Beautiful Summer by Cesare Pavese EN
ItalyDescription:
'An astonishing portrait of an innocent on the verge of discovering the cruelties of love... there are whispers here of the future work of Elena Ferrante' Elizabeth Strout, from the introduction 'Life was a perpetual holiday in those days...' It's the height of summer in 1930s Italy and sixteen-year-old Ginia is desperate for adventure. So begins a fateful friendship with Amelia, a stylish and sophisticated artist's model who envelops her in a dazzling new world of bohemian artists and intoxicating freedom. Under the spell of her new friends, Ginia soon falls in love with Guido, an enigmatic y... continue
36.
The Caucasian Chalk Circle by Bertolt Brecht EN
GermanyDescription:
Written in exile during the Second World War, the story of Brecht's classic play subverts an ancient Chinese tale - echoed in the Judgement of Solomon - in which two women claim the same child. The message of Brecht's parable is that resources should go to those who will make best use of them. Thanks to the rascally judge, Azdak, one of Brecht's most vivid creations, this story has a happy outcome: the child is entrusted to the peasant Grusha, who has loved and nurtured it. Published in Methuen Drama's Modern Classics series, this edition features an extensive introduction, Brecht's own notes ... continue
37.
The Devil's Advocate by Steve Cavanagh EN
Description:
'The Devil's Advocate makes your palms sweat and your blood run cold; the terrific trial scenes out-Grisham John Grisham.' The Times 'This guy is the real deal. Trust me.' LEE CHILD 'Top notch thrills and courtroom drama' SHARI LAPENA 'A terrific writer. He has talent to burn.' DON WINSLOW HE'S WON EVERY TRIAL. BECAUSE HE'S BEHIND EVERY MURDER. Ambitious District Attorney Randal Korn lives to watch prisoners executed. Even if they are not guilty. An innocent man, Andy Dubois, faces the death penalty for the murder of young girl. Korn has already fixed things to make sure he wins a fast convict... continue
38.
The Margot affair by Sanae Lemoine EN
FranceDescription:
A NEW YORK TIMES EDITORS’ CHOICE The secret daughter of a French politician and a famous actress drops the startling revelation that will shatter her family in this beguiling debut novel of intrigue and betrayal. NAMED ONE OF SUMMER’S BEST BOOKS BY The Skimm • Marie Claire • LitHub • Subway Book Review • Paperback Paris Margot Louve is a secret: the child of a longstanding affair between an influential French politician with presidential ambitions and a prominent stage actress. This hidden family exists in stolen moments in a small Parisian apartment on the Left Bank. It is a house of cards th... continue
39.
The Mountain Wreath by Petar II Petrović Njegoš EN
Country: Europe / 
Montenegro
Montenegro
Description:
The Mountain Wreath (Serbian: Gorski vijenac) is a poem and a play, a masterpiece of Serbian literature, written by Montenegrin Prince-Bishop and poet Petar II Petrovic-Njegos. Njegos wrote The Mountain Wreath during 1846 in Cetinje and published it the following year after the printing in an Armenian monastery in Vienna. It is a modern epic written in verse as a play, thus combining three of the major modes of literary expression. Set in 18th-century Montenegro, the poem deals with attempts of Njegos's ancestor Danilo to regulate relations among the region's warring tribes. Written as a serie... continue
40.
The Queen of Dirt Island : A Novel by Donal Ryan EN
Description:
“From its opening pages, this book exerts a quiet, propulsive hold over its reader. The three generations of Aylward women will break your heart and then put it back together again.” –Maggie O'Farrell "This is a generous mosaic of a novel about the staying power of love and pride and history and family." –Colum McCann, author of Apeirogon and Let The Great World Spin From the multi-award-winning and internationally bestselling author Donal Ryan, a searing, jubilant story about four generations of women and fierce love The Aylward women of Nenagh, Tipperary, are mad about each other, but you wo... continue