The New Spirit in the Russian Theatre, 1917–28: And a Sketch of the Russian Kinema and Radio 1919–28, Showing the New Communal Relationship Between the Three
Item #1655
London: Brentano's Ltd., [1929]. First English edition (with Brentano's New York / London dust jacket). xxii, 348 pp., including frontispiece plate in color by Alexandra Exter, 23 double-sided monochrome photographic plates, and in-text line illustrations. Original publisher's black cloth stamped in gilt with constructivist stage-set motifs on front cover and spine, in original publisher's printed brown paper dust jacket. Dust jacket shows minor edge chipping, small tears along the spine ends, and light surface toning
A monumental contemporary survey of early Soviet avant-garde theater, cinema, and radio by English dramatic critic and art historian Huntly Carter (1862–1942). Based on extensive firsthand research, visits to Moscow and Leningrad, and interviews with leading theatrical figures during the 1920s, Carter provides an exhaustive analysis of post-revolutionary theatrical innovation. The volume explores Constructivism, Biomechanics, Mass Theatre, Cubo-Futurism, and "Concrete Realism," featuring detailed coverage of Vsevolod Meyerhold, Alexander Tairov's Kamerny Theatre, the Moscow Academic Jewish Theatre (GOSET), Nikolay Evreinov, and the Proletkult movement. The book is highlighted by a striking color frontispiece of Alexandra Exter's famous vertical constructivist stage set for the Kamerny Theatre, alongside 23 double-sided photographic plates documenting landmark productions (including Eugene O'Neill's Desire Under the Elms and Saltykov-Shchedrin's Death of Pazukhin). Complete with its rare original publisher's printed dust jacket, this volume is an essential primary source for the history of Soviet avant-garde performance arts.
Price: $200.00