This 1921 intellectual comedy contrasts illusion with reality by introducing 6 individuals to a bare stage occupied by actors in rehearsal. Proclaiming themselves the incomplete creations of an author's imagination, the 6 demand dialog for the story of their lives. A classic dramatic exploration of the many faces of reality. Publisher's Note.

In Luigi Pirandello's thought-provoking novel, One, No One and One Hundred Thousand, the protagonist, Vitangelo Moscarda, undergoes a profound identity crisis after a casual remark from his wife. This sets him on a journey of self-discovery, questioning the nature of reality, identity, and the multifaceted perceptions others have of him. Through a series of philosophical musings and encounters with various characters, Moscarda grapples with the fragmented nature of the self and the illusions that shape our understanding of the world.

Luigi Pirandello (28 June 1867 - 10 December 1936) was an Italian dramatist, novelist, poet and short story writer. He was awarded the 1934 Nobel Prize in Literature for his "bold and brilliant renovation of the drama and the stage." Pirandello's works include novels, hundreds of short stories, and about 40 plays. Pirandello's tragic farces are often seen as forerunners of the Theatre of the Absurd. Six Characters in Search of an Author (1921) is a stage comedy which laid the foundation for the Theater of the Absurd. A group of actors are preparing to rehearse for a Pirandello play. While starting the rehearsal, they are interrupted by the arrival of six characters. The leader of the characters, the father, informs the manager that they are looking for an author. He explains that the author who created them did not finish their story, and that they therefore are unrealized characters who have not been fully brought to life. The manager tries to throw them out of the theater, but becomes more intrigued when they start to describe their story.

In Luigi Pirandello's "Henry IV," the playwright explores the intricacies of identity and the nature of reality through the psychological drama of a man who, after experiencing a traumatic event, immerses himself in the role of the medieval king. Set against the backdrop of irrationality and human perception, the play merges elements of commedia dell'arte with modernist themes, offering a rich tapestry of language that oscillates between humor and pathos. The story's unique structure blurs the lines between performance and reality, challenging both characters and audience to confront the masks they wear in life. Luigi Pirandello, a Nobel Prize-winning Italian playwright, novelist, and short story writer, was deeply influenced by his own struggles with identity and societal conventions. His experiences living in an increasingly fragmented world, especially during World War I, fueled his exploration of existential themes. Completed in 1922, "Henry IV" reflects Pirandello's signature concern with the fluidity of truth and the performances that shape our lives, drawing from classical ideals while innovating within the theatrical form. This compelling play is an essential read for anyone interested in the intersections of identity, performance, and reality in literature. Pirandello's masterful blend of psychological depth and theatricality will resonate with both scholars and casual readers, inviting them to reflect on the roles they inhabit and the truths they construct.

Mattia Pascal endures a life of drudgery in a provincial town. Then, providentially, he discovers that he has been declared dead. Realizing he has a chance to start over, to do it right this time, he moves to a new city, adopts a new name, and a new course of life—only to find that this new existence is as insufferable as the old one. But when he returns to the world he left behind, it's too late: his job is gone, his wife has remarried. Mattia Pascal's fate is to live on as the ghost of the man he was. An explorer of identity and its mysteries, a connoisseur of black humor, Nobel Prize winner Luigi Pirandello is among the most teasing and profound of modern masters. The Late Mattia Pascal, here rendered into English by the outstanding translator William Weaver, offers an irresistible introduction to this great writer's work

Six Characters in Search of an Author by Luigi Pirandello (Author), Edward Storer (Translator) One of the major figures of modern theater, Luigi Pirandello (1867-1936) wrote dramas and satires that sparked controversy with their radical departures from conventional theatrical techniques. His most celebrated work, Six Characters in Search of an Author, embodies the Nobel Prize-winning playwright's innovations by presenting an open-ended drama on a stage without sets. First performed in 1923, this intellectual comedy introduces six individuals to a stage where a company of actors has assembled for a rehearsal. Claiming to be the incomplete, unused creations of an author's imagination, they demand lines for a story that will explain the details of their lives. In ensuing scenes, these "real-life characters," all professing to be part of an extended family, produce a drama of sorts - punctuated by disagreements, interruptions, and arguments. In the end they are dismissed by the irate manager, their dilemma unsolved and the "truth" a matter of individual viewpoints. A tour de force exploring the many faces of reality, this classic is now available in an inexpensive edition that will be welcomed by amateur theatrical groups as well as students of drama. We are delighted to publish this classic book as part of our extensive Classic Library collection. Many of the books in our collection have been out of print for decades, and therefore have not been accessible to the general public. The aim of our publishing program is to facilitate rapid access to this vast reservoir of literature, and our view is that this is a significant literary work, which deserves to be brought back into print after many decades. The contents of the vast majority of titles in the Classic Library have been scanned from the original works. To ensure a high quality product, each title has been meticulously hand curated by our staff. Our philosophy has been guided by a desire to provide the reader with a book that is as close as possible to ownership of the original work. We hope that you will enjoy this wonderful classic work, and that for you it becomes an enriching experience.

First performed in 1921 with Romans calling out 'Madhouse!' from the audience, "Six Characters in Search of an Author" has remained the most famous and innovative of Pirandello's plays. Often labeled a satirical tragicomedy, this play initiated the anti-illusionism movement of the early twentieth century, rejecting realism in favor of a more symbolic, dreamlike quality. When an acting company's rehearsal is interrupted by six family members who wish their life story to be enacted, the result is a masterpiece in the exploration of the nature of human personality. Both popular and controversial, this play blurred the lines of reality and illusion in unpredictable ways, ultimately influencing later playwrights like Beckett and Sartre with its bizarre blending of theatrical qualities. Such is the eloquence and depth of Pirandello's body of work that he was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1934, just two years before his death, an honor worthy of a playwright whose plays had a subtle yet profound impact on much of the theatre that would follow. This edition is printed on premium acid-free paper and follows the translation of Edward Storer.

This famous drama, an expressionistic parable by the Nobel Prize–winning playwright, explores such themes as the relativity of truth, the vanity and necessity of illusion, and the instability of human personalities.

Six Characters in Search of an Author (Sei personaggi in cerca d'autore) is an Italian three-act play written by Luigi Pirandello in 1921, considered as one of the earliest examples of absurdist theatre. It's a play within a play that deals with perceptions of reality and illusion, and plays with the ideas of identity and relative truths. The plot features an acting company who have gathered to rehearse another play by Pirandello, when they're interrupted by 6 "characters" who arrive in search of their author. They immediately clash with the manager who at first assumes they're mad. But, as the play progresses, the manager slowly shifts his reality as the characters become more real than the actors. Six Characters in Search of an Author opened in Rome at Valle di Roma and created a huge and clamorous division in the audience, forcing Pirandello to escape out the side door. But a year later it was presented in Milan to great success, before moving on to Broadway in 1922 where it ran for 136 performances.