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Michael Billington
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State of the Nation Hardcover – January 1, 2007

by Michael Billington (Author)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 19 ratings
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Michael Billington's new book looks at post-war Britain from a theatrical perspective. It examines the constant interplay between theatre and society from the resurgent optimism of the Attlee years to the satire boom of the Sixties and the growth of political theatre under Tony Blair in the post-Iraq period. Written by Britain's longest-serving theatre critic, the book also offers a passionate defence of the dramatist as the medium's key creative figure. Controversial, witty and informed, "State of the Nation" offers a fresh and challenging look at the vast upheavals that have taken place in Britain and its theatre in the course of sixty turbulent years.
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    416 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Faber
  4. Publication date
    January 1, 2007
  5. Dimensions
    6.38 x 1.54 x 9.49 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0571210341
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0571210343
  8. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Faber; Main edition (January 1, 2007)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 416 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0571210341
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0571210343
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.63 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.38 x 1.54 x 9.49 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 19 ratings

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Michael Billington

Michael Billington

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Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
19 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Karen Goozner
5.0 out of 5 stars Tracked down the book we wanted
Reviewed in the United States on November 27, 2019
Verified Purchase
Arrived on time and as promised.
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Dr. Laurence Raw
4.0 out of 5 stars An Epic Text Revealing the Author's Dramatic Tastes
Reviewed in the United States on November 6, 2013
STATE OF THE NATION can best be approached as an epic text, chronicling the development of British theater since the end of the Second World War. A lot of it will seem no doubt familiar to students of the topic: the rise and fall of the Angry Young Men, the protest theater of the Sixties, the growth of the fringe during the Seventies, theatrical retraction during the Thatcher period, followed by a revaluation of subsidy and the theater during the Blair era. Billington is particularly harsh on certain major figures of the era; he certainly doesn't like Binkie Beaumont, the West End producer of the Fifties who controlled all the major theaters, and whose dramatic tastes were inherently conservative. Nor does he have much time for Noel Coward, whom he dismisses as a rather antediluvian figure (despite the revival of interest in his work during the Sixties and the Noughties). On the other hand STATE OF THE NATION reveals a penchant for Pinter, Bond, Nichols and (more latterly) the work of Sarah Kane and Martin McDonough. STATE OF THE NATION is an extremely readable text, the product of a drama critic who has simultaneously delighted and enraged readers of London's GUARDIAN newspaper.
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Yasushi Hirata
5.0 out of 5 stars The most inspiring book I ever read
Reviewed in the United States on June 5, 2013
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As I am interested in the theatre especially the drama and how it reflects the society in which it was written, this book was the work I have been looking for.
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Coco Pazzo
5.0 out of 5 stars A great survey of British Theatre
Reviewed in the United States on December 27, 2007
Verified Purchase
This is a very well-written and comprehensive survey of post-war British theatre. I do have some minor quibbles with Billington because he tends to discount the still-lasting effect of WWII on British drama, but otherwise this is the best survey I have yet to read of post-war British theatre.
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Top reviews from other countries

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heather glaisyer
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 29, 2017
Verified Purchase
good
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Matteo
4.0 out of 5 stars Buon testo sul teatro britannico
Reviewed in Italy on December 21, 2016
Verified Purchase
Acquistato per motivi universitari.
È sicuramente un testo molto completo ed esaustivo sulla storia e l'evoluzione del teatro britannico dal dopoguerra fino al momento della pubblicazione, diviso in capitoli che coprono circa una decina d'anni ciascuno, evidenziandone il contesto storico, i tratti fondamentali e i protagonisti principali.
La lettura è mediamente scorrevole, sebbene i capitoli siano molto lunghi e ritengo avrebbero molto giovato di ulteriori suddivisioni o di un formato un po' più agile.
Comunque buon rapporto qualità/prezzo.
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Andy Caspar
5.0 out of 5 stars schnell und sauber!
Reviewed in Germany on September 20, 2013
Verified Purchase
die transaktion verlief ohne probleme. ich würde jederzeit wieder da bestellen. alles paletti und wunderbar und jetzt noch zwei wörter
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