David Mamet
Paperback | Pages: 112 pages Rating: 3.93 | 14390 Users | 386 Reviews
Itemize Containing Books Glengarry Glen Ross
| Title | : | Glengarry Glen Ross |
| Author | : | David Mamet |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Special Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 112 pages |
| Published | : | January 11th 1994 by Grove Press (first published January 1st 1983) |
| Categories | : | Plays. Drama. Fiction. Theatre. Classics. Literature. American. 20th Century |
Commentary To Books Glengarry Glen Ross
It is what I call crunch time-- the last two weeks of the year and attempting to wrap up loose ends in reading before the calendar turns a page. At last count I have five books to go and I hope I get to all five, but it will be a challenge. Before getting to those last five, I decided to get a jump start on a challenge I created for myself for next year. In addition to my Pulitzer challenge, I have decided to 'read Chicago' in 2018, selecting ten books across all genres for this challenge. These books can be memoirs, fiction, nonfiction, Pulitzer or Nobel winners, mysteries, plays, poetry, and even a personal favorite, baseball history books. I am looking forward to this challenge as it allows me to closely study my home city through literature. I guess it means I will need a new tenth book for this challenge, or make it ongoing and eventually read through a list I found, 40 books about Chicago that every Chicagoan should read. How I frame the challenge remains to be seen but it is going to be one near and dear to me and hopefully both fun and fulfilling.In searching for books that are essentially Chicago, I came across Glengarry Glen Ross by David Mamet, the 1984 Pulitzer winner for drama. With a script that I was able to read in an hour, I am now able to say that I read a play by Mamet, one of Chicago's leading playwrights. In this now modern classic, Mamet focuses on what he calls the cutthroat world of insurance salesmen. The cast features seven men in their forties and fifties who are all going after the big lead, the one that will net them thousands of dollars and bonuses that could mean a new Cadillac or the elusive trip to Hawaii. I found the script dated as it occurred pre internet, pre skype, and in order to make the big one, salesmen had to spend hours in their cars as they drove to potential clients homes, pitching their product to unsuspecting consumers. Now these sales pitches can take place in an office, on a phone, at a computer, saving salespeople hours of time and aggravation in commuting. As a result, the script appeared to be a touch dated, but powerful nonetheless.
In the case of Glengarry, middle aged salesmen on the verge of being laid off attempted to resell condo units at a bogus track of land in Florida. Four men in their forties and another three in their fifties fought to be the one to sell the most condos, the most tracks of land, and see their names land on the top of the monthly leader board. Seeing that sales had for the most part dropped off, the office manager Williamson had created a contest pitting each salesman against each other, hoping that these aging all star pitchmen would find one last moment of glory in their careers. Mamet shows how the business is indeed ruthless as men who had worked together for their entire careers faced off hoping that they would be the one to take the family to Hawaii or ride in a Caddy. And the sales office ended up being the dog eat dog world that Mamet had envisioned as each character whined and attempted to kiss up to the boss in hopes that he would be the favored employee when bonuses were given out at the end of the year.
Glengarry Glen Ross also won an Oscar for best picture in 1992. It was not without controversy as characters swear nonstop as their frustration level grew to high levels. Reading through the script, I noted many words not suitable for underage readers or movie goers, and, after checking, the movie version of this award winning play is indeed rated R. I found Mamet's work to be powerful and one that is more suitable on stage than in written form, especially here as the entire play is centered on human face to face interaction rather than plot development. Glengarry Glen Ross allowed me to witness a sliver of society that is slowly fading away as the world grows smaller. It is a powerful piece of literature showing the ruthlessness of salesmen, and one worthy of the awards bestowed on both the drama and movie version, and a script I would most likely enjoy the most on stage rather than film.
With 2018 a fortnight away, I am looking forward to my Read Chicago challenge. Glengarry Glen Ross was a quick introduction to this challenge and is making me look forward to other books centered in the city that I love. I hope to read at least one Pulitzer winner in each category for the challenge, so I can now cross award winning drama off of my list.
4 stars
Be Specific About Books Concering Glengarry Glen Ross
| Original Title: | Glengarry Glen Ross |
| ISBN: | 0802130917 (ISBN13: 9780802130914) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Characters: | Richard Roma, Shelley Levene, James Lingk, John Williamson, George Aaronow |
| Literary Awards: | Pulitzer Prize for Drama (1984) |
Rating Containing Books Glengarry Glen Ross
Ratings: 3.93 From 14390 Users | 386 ReviewsPiece Containing Books Glengarry Glen Ross
Late capitalism is a nightmare, but in this case great for reading out loud.Honestly, I thought I'd hate this play. Then I saw it with Liev Schreiber and Alan Alda and was engrossed. This is an incredibly hard play to pull off on stage (there's something about Mamet's stylized dialogue that requires truly talented actors). Probably one of the ten best productions I've ever seen. I mention the staged version because you really get a clear sense of the "feel" of this play from reading it. I can't say it's for everyone; the language is strong and it's decidedly, well,
ROMA You think you're queer...? I'm going to tell you something: we're all queer. You think that you're a thief? So what? You get befuddled by a middle-class morality...? Get shut of it. Shut it out. You cheated on your wife...? You did it, live with it. (pause) You fuck little girls, so be it. There's an absolute morality? May be. And then what? If you think there is, then be that thing. Bad people go to hell? I don't think so. If you think that, act that way. A hell exists on earth? Yes. I
Bullshit! It's all about the...are you fucking listening to me? All I'm saying...now wait a second...study THE DIALOGUE. What? Fuck stage directions.
Glengarry Glen Ross: a play, David Mamet Glengarry Glen Ross is a play by David Mamet that won the Pulitzer Prize in 1984. The play shows parts of two days in the lives of four desperate Chicago real estate agents who are prepared to engage in any number of unethical, illegal actsfrom lies and flattery to bribery, threats, intimidation and burglaryto sell undesirable real estate to unwitting prospective buyers. It is based on Mamet's experience having previously worked in a similar office.تاریخ
DNFd at 50% and sparknoted the rest for school lol.
It was hard for me to fully envision the characters by just reading it in play form, I'd like to see how the live play would interpret them. Even though the characters were a little gappy for me, I still thought they were great, and the story was fast paced and engaging. Looking forward to watching the movie.
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