Edward Albee (1928–2016) was a central figure in modern American theatre, and his bold and often experimental theatrical style won him wide acclaim. This book explores the issues, public and private, that so influenced Albee's vision over five decades, from his first great success, The Zoo Story (1959), to his last play, Me, Myself, & I (2008). Matthew Roudané covers all of Albee's original works in this comprehensive, clearly structured, and up-to-date study of the playwright's life and career: in Part I, the volume explores Albee's background and the historical contexts of his work; Part II concentrates on twenty-four of his plays, including Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1962); and Part III investigates his critical reception. Surveying Albee's relationship with Broadway, and including interviews conducted with Albee himself, this book will be of great importance for theatregoers and students seeking an accessible yet incisive introduction to this extraordinary American playwright.

‘Matthew Roudané has been one of Albee's most astute and discerning critics for more than thirty years. In his energetic, engaging, and precise prose, he offers analyses of twenty-five Albee plays, enriched by the playwright's words from Roudané's many interviews with him. This book is accessible to the general reader and theatergoer, but rewards the specialist just as well. Overviews of Albee's life and work establish the themes that undergird Roudané's treatment of the plays – Albee's existential sense of human loss and being lost balanced by a profound sense of hope, his conviction of the preeminence of consciousness in living human life to the full, and his belief in the regenerative powers of the imagination. The coherent vision Roudané brings to, or reveals in, Albee's work, from The Zoo Story (1959) to Me, Myself, & I (2008), is simply stunning.'

Brenda Murphy - Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor of English, Emeritus

‘It would be hard to imagine a more thorough, intelligent, persuasive, and sympathetic account of the work of Edward Albee than this. The word ‘Introduction' is too modest. This is a comprehensive account not only of the plays and the man who wrote them but of the theatrical, social, and political context in which they were written. This will surely stand as a key work for all those interested in one of the finest playwrights America has produced.'

Christopher Bigsby - Professor of American Studies, University of East Anglia

'… this current volume provides an important overview of all of Albee’s plays, in ten beautifully written chapters which provide important historical and sociological context for Albee’s theatre on and off Broadway. While the volume is an accessible work for newcomers to these plays, it is far more than an introductory work, giving shape and meaning to the career of one of America’s most iconoclastic dramatists … Written in a tight, evocative, and swift narrative style, Roudané provide not just an introduction to, but a remarkable and incredibly useful overview of Albee’s work, with an excellent bibliography and index, and more than a touch of personal admiration for its subject.'

David Crespy Source: The Edward Albee Society E-Newsletter

'In this clear, concise introduction to the works of Edward Albee (1928–2016), Roudané (Georgia State Univ.) situates Albee's oeuvre in public and private historical contexts through a chronological examination of 26 of his plays. … Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals; general readers.'

K. Tancheva Source: Choice