The Diaries of Judith Malina, 1958-1971

Rezensionen / Stimmen

"This long-awaited, fascinating volume, The Diaries of Judith Malina,1958-1971, goes far in filling the gap in our understanding of and appreciation for the unique voice, experiences, achievements and perspectives of Judith Malina, the passionate artist-activist and cofounder of The Living Theatre, a groundbreaking ensemble that landed at the center of the zeitgeist during the decade these diaries span. In Malina's intimate, sharply etched and riveting chronicles, astutely and sensitively edited by Kate Bredeson, we can 'feel alongside her in the moment' as Bredeson writes in her illuminating, strongly argued introduction, tracking an extraordinary life of/in the theatre that can teach us volumes about a revolutionary time not so different from our own."

-Cindy Rosenthal, Professor of Drama and Dance, Hofstra University

"This thrilling new installment in the publication of Judith Malina's diaries brings readers into a tumultuous, largely nomadic, highly creative, and often contentious period of The Living Theatre. While the company constantly grapples with cops, creditors, critics, and the conflicts of communal living, this visionary artist also invents new forms, develops theories of political theater, exalts and agonizes over love affairs, and gives birth and tends to a daughter. Her sparkling, pithy descriptions of places ('gray roofs glowing in Paris'; 'the busy vegetation of Cefalu') and people (Genet, Grotowski, Dorothy Day ... ) bring every encounter to vivid life, and her honest questioning of all assumptions - except her commitment to pacifism, whether audience members lift her up in triumph or spit in her face - never cease to inspire. I can't wait for the next volume."

-Professor Alisa Solomon, Graduate School of Journalism, Columbia University

"Judith Malina was an extraordinary artist, whose prolific diaries reveal her struggle between a love of the world and a desire to revolutionize it. At this moment in history, her soulfulness and fierce honesty, joined to radical politics and ideals, appear as a timely gift to a world theatre community searching for inspirational figures. In its use of archival material and reflections on the diary as a literary form, Kate Bredeson's Introduction opens up new perspectives on this great woman of the American theatre who embraced livingness in all its splendor and turmoil in pursuit of her vision."

-Bonnie Marranca, editor, PAJ: A Journal of Performance and Art, and author of Timelines: Writings and Conversations, Performance Histories, and Ecologies of Theatre