Mankowitz: The Plays

Includes the plays The Samson Riddle and Essay; The Bespoke Overcoat; The Hebrew Lesson; It Should Happen to a Dog; and The Mighty Hunter. When The Bespoke Overcoat was first performed in 1953, Wolf Mankowitz was immediately hailed as one of Britain's most exciting young playwrights. From the poverty of the East End to the conflict in Northern Ireland to the society and politics of biblical Palestine, his plays are famous for their poignant wit and outstanding dialogue, depicting acts of humanity and brutality, goodwill and violence, in a flawed but fascinating world. Spanning the full twenty-five years of Mankowitz's career as a dramatist, this volume provides a selection of his best work for the stage. Alongside Mankowitz's longest and most challenging play The Samson Riddle, it also includes the full text of his powerful accompanying essay, as well as an introduction by his official biographer Anthony Dunn. "Mr Mankowitz has a perfect ear for the rhythm and idiom of East End speech...hilarious and mournful by turn and tinged throughout with poetry" Kenneth Tynan on The Bespoke Overcoat.