Albert Speer

by David Edgar

A panoramic adaptation of Gita Sereny's definitive and magisterial biography of a man whose devotion to Hitler blinded him to the worst crime of the twentieth century.

Plucked from obscurity to be Hitler's architect and Minister of War, Albert Speer became the second most powerful man in Nazi Germany and the closest Hitler had to a friend. Having narrowly escaped hanging at Nuremberg, Speer emerged from twenty years at Spandau gaol, as he thought, a changed man. But even as he publishes his bestselling accounts of the Third Reich, the extent of his complicity in Nazi crimes returns to haunt him – and his long-suffering family.

'offers a clear-sighted examination of the psychology of guilt, denial and repentance, an unsqueamish and chilling dissection of a heart of darkness' - Mail on Sunday

'Monumental. An ambitious, intelligent and worthwhile play' - Financial Times

Genres: Plays

183 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

David Edgar is an English playwright. He was born in Birmingham into a family with longstanding links to the theatre. His father and mother both acted at the Birmingham Rep before moving into broadcasting, and by the age of five Edgar had written his first play and performed it in a 12 seat theatre his father built for him in his back garden.

From Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Ed...

Reviews

[Rosa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ordered this after reading about Spandau prison and thought it would be a more interesting and tolerable way to learn about a boot licking n*zi than his own books on himself. But it wasn’t, despite good writing (although it must have been about four hours long in performance). An interesting afterword by Edgar about the choice to write a play where the morality of Speer is examined, but I also just think it’s so clear he was a total worm from the first page that it might not have been necessary.

[James Neophytou · Rating 5 out of 5]

The number two in Nazi Germany and the closest that Hitler had to a friend. He was not sentenced to death at Nuremberg.

A sophisticated play on a charismatic man.

Based on Gitta Sereny’s definitive biography.

I recommend highly.