Five Plays of Alexander Ostrovsky

This book contains brilliant new translations of the best known and most popular plays of Russia's first and most prolific professional playwright, whose masterful social portraits of mid-19th-century Russia remain a vital part of the living Russian theater. It's a Family Affair - We'll Settle It Ourselves, long considered one of the great Russian comedies, portrays a rising young con man who teaches his elders how to play the business game to win. The Poor Bride, a satiric comedy of love and courtship, explores the theme on illusion and reality, and the complexities of the mother-daughter relationship. The Storm, one of the few Russian tragedies ever written, movingly portrays the moral struggle of a woman trapped in a world of oppressive provincial life. The Scoundrel charts the rakish progress of an impoverished young nobleman who capitalizes on the vanities of the nobility in his drive for position and money. The Forest, the most popular of Ostrovsky's comedies, contrasts role-playing on the stage with role-playing in life, as it follows the adventures of two strolling players barnstorming the backwoods of provincial Russia.