Two Plays

The first book to present plays by Sweden's greatest living playwright in English Lars Norén, generally considered Sweden's greatest playwright since August Strindberg, had his first play produced in 1973 at the Royal Dramatic Theater in Stockholm, when he was about 30. His breakthrough came in 1982 with Night Is Mother to the Day. Norén has since written about 75 plays that combine humor with powerful emotional impact and feature his dynamic search for new forms of expression. His work has been translated into several languages and regularly performed in Nordic and European countries. Two Plays: And Give Us the Shadows and Autumn and Winter is the first book to present Norén's plays in English. And Give Us the Shadowsis a fictional work based on Eugene O'Neill's life, set in Marblehead, MA, on O'Neill's 61st birthday, when he and his wife, Carlotta, are expecting a visit from his two sons. Autumn and Winter centers on parents and their two grownup daughters who reveal family secrets during one of their regular monthly dinners. . Endorsements: 'Lars Norén, regarded by many as the greatest Swedish playwright since Strindberg, has dealt with the love-hate relationships of modern dysfunctional families in emotionally powerful and sombre plays spiced with absurd humour.'-Encyclopedia Britannica Online 'He has made the present time our home and exposed the anxiety beneath the surface of the welfare state.'-Per Wastberg, former chairman of International PEN and editor-in- chief of Sweden's largest daily newspaper. BIOGRAPHIES Lars Norén is a Swedish playwright, novelist and poet. He is considered Sweden's most prominent contemporary playwright. Translator Marita Lindholm Gochman was born in Sweden and came to America in 1964, where she has had a rich theatrical career. In 1985, she translated her first Norén play into English, The Last Supper, and since then has worked with him on 25 of his plays-making her Norén's foremost English language translator. Since 1987 Ms. Gochman has served as a board member of Circle in the Square, The International Theatre Institute, and The Signature Theatre. 3