Spring Awakening
2nd Edition
Will be published approx. on 4. February 2027
Book
Paperback/Softback
144 pages
978-1-350-54084-2 (ISBN)
Description
'[This translation by Edward Bond is] scrupulously faithful both to Wedekind's irony and his poetry'
THE TIMES
Written in 1891, Frank Wedekind's explosive play lays bare the brutal clash between adolescence and authority. Set in a stifling provincial German town, it exposes a world ruled by fear, hypocrisy and moral absolutism, where young people are denied knowledge, agency and compassion.
As repressive adults impose silence and shame, teenage curiosity and sexual longing erupt into confusion, rebellion, and tragedy. Shocking, darkly ironic and radically ahead of its time, Wedekind's play confronts the catastrophic consequences of denying youth honest education and emotional freedom.
A seminal work of modern drama, it remains a searing indictment of moral repression-and a fearless exploration of growing up under tyranny.
This Student Edition in the translation by Edward Bond contains a commentary and notes by Joseph Prestwich.
THE TIMES
Written in 1891, Frank Wedekind's explosive play lays bare the brutal clash between adolescence and authority. Set in a stifling provincial German town, it exposes a world ruled by fear, hypocrisy and moral absolutism, where young people are denied knowledge, agency and compassion.
As repressive adults impose silence and shame, teenage curiosity and sexual longing erupt into confusion, rebellion, and tragedy. Shocking, darkly ironic and radically ahead of its time, Wedekind's play confronts the catastrophic consequences of denying youth honest education and emotional freedom.
A seminal work of modern drama, it remains a searing indictment of moral repression-and a fearless exploration of growing up under tyranny.
This Student Edition in the translation by Edward Bond contains a commentary and notes by Joseph Prestwich.
Reviews / Votes
[This translation by Edward Bond is] scrupulously faithful both to Wedekind's irony and his poetry * The Times *More details
Series
Edition
2nd edition
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Target group
Primary & secondary/elementary & high school
College/higher education
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 129 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-350-54084-2 (9781350540842)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Frank Wedekind (1864-1918) had a seminal effect on the development of twentieth-centruy German drama. His plays portray a society riven by the demands of lust and greed, and his powerful writing continues to disturb and shock. His plays were still being refused a performing licence in Britain in the 1960s. His major works include the Lulu plays and Spring Awakening.
Edward Bond (1934 - 2024) was an English playwright, director and screenwriter. He wrote over 50 plays, including Saved (1965), Lear (1971), The Sea (1973) and Restoration (1981). He is regarded as one of the great post-second world war dramatists.
Joseph Prestwich is an academic, improviser, applied theatre practitioner and actor. His PhD focused on the staging of "Germanness" in contemporary British and German theatre in the UK. He has taught at King's College London and at the University of Cambridge, and is currently a ERC Postdoctoral Fellow at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. He is Assistant Director of ShakeItUp Theatre, which focuses on improvised Shakespeare, and he works regularly in Germany with Theater Frankfurt.
Edward Bond (1934 - 2024) was an English playwright, director and screenwriter. He wrote over 50 plays, including Saved (1965), Lear (1971), The Sea (1973) and Restoration (1981). He is regarded as one of the great post-second world war dramatists.
Joseph Prestwich is an academic, improviser, applied theatre practitioner and actor. His PhD focused on the staging of "Germanness" in contemporary British and German theatre in the UK. He has taught at King's College London and at the University of Cambridge, and is currently a ERC Postdoctoral Fellow at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. He is Assistant Director of ShakeItUp Theatre, which focuses on improvised Shakespeare, and he works regularly in Germany with Theater Frankfurt.
Content
Commentary
Historical, social and cultural contexts
Genre and themes
Play as performance
Production history
Critical reception
Behind the scenes (interview with Caroline Byrne)
Further exploration
PLAY TEXT
Notes
Historical, social and cultural contexts
Genre and themes
Play as performance
Production history
Critical reception
Behind the scenes (interview with Caroline Byrne)
Further exploration
PLAY TEXT
Notes