David Mamet Summary

Mamet, David (1947—) One of the most important American playwrights of the twentieth century, David Mamet is the voice of the common man—or even criminal—in the theater. He has be... Read more

Playwright and screenwriter David Mamet is highly praised for his accurate rendering of American vernacular, through which he explores the relationship between language and behavior. Born in Chicago, ... Read more

"In this country of incessant obbligatos accompanying all activity--music in offices, and elevators, tapes in cars, radios in restaurants--Mamet has heard the ultimate Muzak, the dissonant din of peop... Read more

In the following review, Resnikova writes that Mamet has merely presented “his theory of sexual anger” in Oleanna. David Mamet's latest play, Oleanna (the infelicitous title re... Read more

In the following review, Van Leer discusses many of Mamet's works that were produced from the mid-1970s to 1988. In the past fifteen years David Mamet has established himself as one of our m... Read more

In the following review, Tandon asserts that The Old Religion is a departure for Mamet and comments on the novel's focus on meditative introspection, whereas he believes many other of Mamet�... Read more

In the following interview, Mamet and James discuss the details of writing and shooting a script, and in particular the adaptation of the Terence Rattigan play The Winslow Boy for the screen. In hi... Read more

In the following review, Fleming summarizes the stylistic elements of Wilson. The most arresting thing about David Mamet's new novel [Wilson] is its dust jacket. The front cover (reproduced ... Read more

In the following essay, Weber discusses Mamet's ideas about the role of theater in contemporary society, focusing on writings in which Mamet addresses the structure of tragedies versus melodram... Read more

In the following review, Levi finds Wilson obtuse. It was Alfred North Whitehead who said “all philosophy is merely footnotes to Plato.” But it has taken David Mamet to write a footno... Read more

In the following review, Showalter contends that Mamet fails to objectively address harassment in Oleanna. By all counts, this should be a championship season for the playwright David Mamet. The mo... Read more

In the following essay, Begley explores David Mamet's relationship to the theater and film industry, using one of the author's many adapted works as an example. “If it's... Read more

Critical Essay by John Simon [Reunion] consists of two wretched curtain raisers of about 10 minutes apiece, which finally raise the (figurative) curtain on a 45-minute play that, though appreciably b... Read more

Critical Essay by Robert Storey The making of Mamet's America is founded upon a verbal busyness, glib, deft, quick; the parenthetical asides that lace his dialogue (destined, undoubtedly, to b... Read more