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Crystal and Fox by Brian Friel
1st/1st acting edition, 1970. Unused copy very lightly rubbed w/name on cover.
- GenresPlays
Paperback
First published January 1, 1971
9 people want to read
About the author
Brian Friel
124 books137 followersBrian Friel is a playwright and, more recently, director of his own works from Ireland who now resides in County Donegal.
Friel was born in Omagh County Tyrone, the son of Patrick "Paddy" Friel, a primary school teacher and later a borough councillor in Derry, and Mary McLoone, postmistress of Glenties, County Donegal (Ulf Dantanus provides the most detail regarding Friel's parents and grandparents, see Books below). He received his education at St. Columb's College in Derry and the seminary at St. Patrick's College, Maynooth (1945-48) from which he received his B.A., then he received his teacher's training at St. Mary's Training College in Belfast, 1949-50. He married Anne Morrison in 1954, with whom he has four daughters and one son; they remain married. From 1950 until 1960, he worked as a Maths teacher in the Derry primary and intermediate school system, until taking leave in 1960 to live off his savings and pursue a career as writer. In 1966, the Friels moved from 13 Malborough Street, Derry to Muff, County Donegal, eventually settling outside Greencastle, County Donegal.
He was appointed to the Irish Senate in 1987 and served through 1989. In 1989, BBC Radio launched a "Brian Friel Season", a series devoted a six-play season to his work, the first living playwright to be so distinguished. In 1999 (April-August), Friel's 70th birthday was celebrated in Dublin with the Friel Festival during which ten of his plays were staged or presented as dramatic readings throughout Dublin; in conjunction with the festival were a conference, National Library exhibition, film screenings, outreach programs, pre-show talks, and the launching of a special issue of The Irish University Review devoted to the playwright; in 1999, he also received a lifetime achievement award from the Irish Times.
On 22 January 2006 Friel was presented with a gold Torc by President Mary McAleese in recognition of the fact that the members of Aosdána have elected him a Saoi. Only five members of Aosdána can hold this honour at any one time and Friel joined fellow Saoithe Louis leBrocquy, Benedict Kiely (d. 2007), Seamus Heaney and Anthony Cronin. On acceptance of the gold Torc, Friel quipped, "I knew that being made a Saoi, really getting this award, is extreme unction; it is a final anointment--Aosdana's last rites."
In November 2008, Queen's University of Belfast announced its intention to build a new theatre complex and research center to be named The Brian Friel Theatre and Centre for Theatre Research.
Friel was born in Omagh County Tyrone, the son of Patrick "Paddy" Friel, a primary school teacher and later a borough councillor in Derry, and Mary McLoone, postmistress of Glenties, County Donegal (Ulf Dantanus provides the most detail regarding Friel's parents and grandparents, see Books below). He received his education at St. Columb's College in Derry and the seminary at St. Patrick's College, Maynooth (1945-48) from which he received his B.A., then he received his teacher's training at St. Mary's Training College in Belfast, 1949-50. He married Anne Morrison in 1954, with whom he has four daughters and one son; they remain married. From 1950 until 1960, he worked as a Maths teacher in the Derry primary and intermediate school system, until taking leave in 1960 to live off his savings and pursue a career as writer. In 1966, the Friels moved from 13 Malborough Street, Derry to Muff, County Donegal, eventually settling outside Greencastle, County Donegal.
He was appointed to the Irish Senate in 1987 and served through 1989. In 1989, BBC Radio launched a "Brian Friel Season", a series devoted a six-play season to his work, the first living playwright to be so distinguished. In 1999 (April-August), Friel's 70th birthday was celebrated in Dublin with the Friel Festival during which ten of his plays were staged or presented as dramatic readings throughout Dublin; in conjunction with the festival were a conference, National Library exhibition, film screenings, outreach programs, pre-show talks, and the launching of a special issue of The Irish University Review devoted to the playwright; in 1999, he also received a lifetime achievement award from the Irish Times.
On 22 January 2006 Friel was presented with a gold Torc by President Mary McAleese in recognition of the fact that the members of Aosdána have elected him a Saoi. Only five members of Aosdána can hold this honour at any one time and Friel joined fellow Saoithe Louis leBrocquy, Benedict Kiely (d. 2007), Seamus Heaney and Anthony Cronin. On acceptance of the gold Torc, Friel quipped, "I knew that being made a Saoi, really getting this award, is extreme unction; it is a final anointment--Aosdana's last rites."
In November 2008, Queen's University of Belfast announced its intention to build a new theatre complex and research center to be named The Brian Friel Theatre and Centre for Theatre Research.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
July 12, 2019
*3.5*
i think by now i can claim a bit of preference regarding brian friel's works. having read five of his plays should count for something after all and that is, i prefer his more humoristic works. not to say he wrote comedies or tragedies. based on my catalogue so far (Translations, Philadelphia, Here I Come!, Lovers: Winners and Losers and The Loves Of Cass Mc Guire plus this one), brian friel thrives in the realm of the dramedy. nothing too funny, nothing too tragic--just the right amount. at least, in some of his plays, this balance could be reached; in others, the tone has moved too far into a single side for it to succeed.
those that have succeeded: "philadelphia, here i come!" and "the loves of cass mcguire". those that have failed to reach the mark: "translations" and "lovers: winners and losers". this play falls in a comfortable middle position.
the play's story is quite economic. told in "six chapters", it spares no moment for iddleness. similarly to Of Mice and Men, it strives on its brievity, each word apparently carefully measured. perhaps, if it had been longer, it would have packed a stronger emotional punch. not to say emotions are not at play here, going from the avoidable to the dreadful to the unspeakable. they simply happen too fast and too close from one another for them to sit in and have a lasting impact.
do i want to cry when reading something? not necessarily. but i do want to experience something i wouldn't have felt if i had chosen to do something else instead of reading. i don't mind stretching a story a bit more if it's done for the sake of characterisation, in order to delve deeper into the characters' psyche. of course, certain writers can do this with fewer words than most (i refuse to acknowledge ernest hemingway as one of them since i think he writes the same male and female couple into every single novel of his--fight me on this). however, a novel is not a play and an omniscient narrator needs to be conveyed through words and words alone when the eyes and ears are afar from the source.
i think by now i can claim a bit of preference regarding brian friel's works. having read five of his plays should count for something after all and that is, i prefer his more humoristic works. not to say he wrote comedies or tragedies. based on my catalogue so far (Translations, Philadelphia, Here I Come!, Lovers: Winners and Losers and The Loves Of Cass Mc Guire plus this one), brian friel thrives in the realm of the dramedy. nothing too funny, nothing too tragic--just the right amount. at least, in some of his plays, this balance could be reached; in others, the tone has moved too far into a single side for it to succeed.
those that have succeeded: "philadelphia, here i come!" and "the loves of cass mcguire". those that have failed to reach the mark: "translations" and "lovers: winners and losers". this play falls in a comfortable middle position.
the play's story is quite economic. told in "six chapters", it spares no moment for iddleness. similarly to Of Mice and Men, it strives on its brievity, each word apparently carefully measured. perhaps, if it had been longer, it would have packed a stronger emotional punch. not to say emotions are not at play here, going from the avoidable to the dreadful to the unspeakable. they simply happen too fast and too close from one another for them to sit in and have a lasting impact.
do i want to cry when reading something? not necessarily. but i do want to experience something i wouldn't have felt if i had chosen to do something else instead of reading. i don't mind stretching a story a bit more if it's done for the sake of characterisation, in order to delve deeper into the characters' psyche. of course, certain writers can do this with fewer words than most (i refuse to acknowledge ernest hemingway as one of them since i think he writes the same male and female couple into every single novel of his--fight me on this). however, a novel is not a play and an omniscient narrator needs to be conveyed through words and words alone when the eyes and ears are afar from the source.
Displaying 1 of 1 review