{"product_id":"chatsky-miser-miser-two-plays-by-anthony-burgess-book-anthony-burgess-9781914228889","title":"Chatsky \u0026 Miser, Miser! Two Plays by Anthony Burgess","description":"Anthony Burgess was an energetic writer and composer, whose work  for the stage is widely admired. In Two Plays, we see him tackling  major monuments of French and Russian theatre: The Miser by  Molière and Chatsky by Alexander Griboyedov.    Miser, Miser! is a bold reworking of Molière’s classic comedy of  1668. Harpagon the miser is hoarding a pile of gold, which he has  buried in his garden. As he tries to sell off his daughter, catch himself  a beautiful young bride and outwit his scheming household of clever  servants, the comedy of errors intensifies.    Although the original French play is written in prose, Burgess  remakes it in a mixture of verse and prose, in the style of his famous  adaptation of Cyrano de Bergerac. This translation, discovered in the  author’s archive, is the work of a writer at the height of his powers,  reinventing Molière for modern audiences.    Chatsky, subtitled ‘The Importance of Being Stupid’ is another verse  comedy. The theme is that of the intellectual hero who rebels  against the smug, philistine society in which he finds himself. First  performed in 1833, Griboyedov’s play was so heavily cut by Russian  censors that it was barely recognisable. The play is a virtuoso vehicle  for male actors, and the source of many famous quotations. It is  also notoriously difficult to translate. In Chatsky, Burgess remakes a  classic Russian play in the spirit of Oscar Wilde. It is a great feast of  language and invective.    The complete texts of both plays are published here for the first time.  Two Plays confirms Anthony Burgess’s reputation as a gifted writer  for the stage, and as a translator of great wit and sophistication.      MISER, MISER! CASTING: 7 men, 3 women  CHATSKY CASTING: 9 men, 7 women","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":49746811322641,"sku":"NGR9781914228889","price":21.89,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50830824636689,"sku":"GOR013336241","price":22.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51053279052049,"sku":"NIN9781914228889","price":21.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":52095438291217,"sku":"CIN191422888XG","price":5.71,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52688496296209,"sku":"NLS9781914228889","price":22.89,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53240248992017,"sku":"GOR014824082","price":0.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/191422888X.jpg?v=1750835649","url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/products\/chatsky-miser-miser-two-plays-by-anthony-burgess-book-anthony-burgess-9781914228889","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}