The Methuen Drama Guide to Contemporary Irish Playwrights

This is THE authoritative single-volume guide examining the work of the 25 best Irish playwrights from the 1960s to the present, including Tom Murphy, Sebastian Barry, Marina Carr, Brian Friel, Thomas Kilroy, Martin McDonagh, Frank McGuinness, Mark O'Rowe, Christina Reid, Enda Walsh with insight and essays from an international team of leading scholars. Each chapter is devoted entirely to a playwright, providing unrivaled coverage to convey the full breadth, vitality and development of their theatrical work. The guide features a biographical introduction, a discussion of the playwright's unique style, dramaturgical concerns and a concise analysis of each of their published play plus a listing of premieres, the play's critical reception, and a select list of critical works.

Martin Middeke is Chair of English Literature at the University of Augsburg, Germany, and editor of the publications from the German Society for Contemporary Theatre and Drama in English.  Peter Paul Schnierer is Chair of English Literature at the University of Heidelberg, Germany.

"Enlightening essays....commendably well-researched...thorough content does not detract from [its]readability."—The Stage "Something of an elegy for a period of theatrical flowering. For several decades, it seemed that Irish dramatists were the most interesting writing in English. Brian Friel and Tom Murphy were magisterial; Frank McGuiness and Anne Devlin were sharp, spry and frequently maverick; Martin McDonagh and Marina Carr looked to extend a tradition of wild and witchy imaginings...This book is more than a reminder of the riches of recent decades."—Plays International