Stanislavsky: A Life in Letters

Reviews / Votes

A celebrated scholar of Russian drama, Senelick (Tufts Univ.) has produced a fascinating collection that serves as an in-depth study of Stanislavsky...Actors, directors, and teachers will particularly appreciate the fact that Senelick translates some of Stanislavsky's popular training concepts in ways that differ slightly from those commonly known in theater circles--thus yielding some useful nuances. Summing Up: Highly recommended.

J. Toma/in, San Francisco State University in CHOICE

An incomparably rich and faceted picture of Stanislavsky as man, actor, and public figure... Expertly translated, annotated and illustrated, this is not only the best and fullest collection of Stanislavsky's letters in any language outside Russian, it is in all respects a model of what such a book can and should be.

Donald Fanger, Harvard University

Through this remarkable collection, Laurence Senelick profoundly deepens an actor's love affair with Stanislavsky. The combination of Stanislavsky and Senelick provides theatre practitioners and historians with a precious treasure-trove of knowledge.

Bella Merlin, University of California, Davis

Senelick's brilliant selection, translated by him with rare perspicacity, fully opens Stanislavsky's extraordinarily multi-layered and dramatic life to view. Never before in any English-language collection of his letters, or, indeed, in any account of his pioneering artistic achievements, have the turbulences of Stanislavsky's life in art and history been so sharply brought into focus. Senelick's is a magisterial work, worthy of his colossal subject and his status as a scholar of Russian literature and theatre.

Maria Shevtsova, Goldsmiths, University of London

Anyone who cares about the theatre will find Laurence Senelick's edition of Stanislavski's letters to be invaluable. Stanislavski's unique intelligence, charisma, and idealism are revealed on every page. His worries - cash, clashing egos, playwrights missing deadlines - will be familiar to anyone who's ever worked on a play. Because much plays out in a time of great turmoil, the collected letters read like an adventure story - sometimes Quixotic, often surprising, always inspiring.

Gregory Mosher, Director and Producer

This compendious volume...is not simply an appendix to Stanislavsky's and others' books about his life, work, and acting theories. Its combination of such a large, representative sample of letters and the accompanying commentary...means that, as the title signals, this book provides a rich insight into, and illuminates Stanislavsky's life. Moreover, it testifies to how much of his character and life Stanislavsky conveyed in his prolific correspondence.

Stuart Young, University of Otago

[I] cannot lessen the value of Stanislavsky: A Life in Letters for theatre practitioners and researchers and professionals and students of theatre and Slavic disciplines, as well as for cultural readers throughout the English-speaking world. Senelick's book should be read in conjunction with Andrew White's The Routledge Companion to Stanislavsky (2013), both of which were published as part of the 150th anniversary celebration of Stanislavsky's birth.

Maria Ignatieva, Ohio State University-Lima, Theatre Journal