Even Stephen (play)
Encyclopedia
Even Stephen is a play written by Nathanael West
and S. J. Perelman
in 1934
. The play is a three act satire dealing with the adventures of Diana Breed Latimer, a best-selling novelist, who visits a women's college in New England
to research her next book, an exposé of the romantic lives of young women on campus. The play has never been produced or published, and is currently collected with other Perelman and West papers at Brown University
, which they both attended.
. In 1936 West sent Perelman a letter repeating an earlier suggestion to try and find an agent for the play. He suggested that if Perelman thought it would damage their reputations, they could use a pseudonym, perhaps "Diana Breed Latimer", the play's protagonist. After West's death in 1940 Perelman revised the play, but no one was interested in producing it.
Nathanael West
Nathanael West was a US author, screenwriter and satirist.- Early life :...
and S. J. Perelman
S. J. Perelman
Sidney Joseph Perelman, almost always known as S. J. Perelman , was an American humorist, author, and screenwriter. He is best known for his humorous short pieces written over many years for The New Yorker...
in 1934
1934 in literature
The year 1934 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:* The first Flash Gordon comic strip is published.*Boris Pasternak and Korney Chukovsky are among those present at the first Congress of the Soviet Union of Writers....
. The play is a three act satire dealing with the adventures of Diana Breed Latimer, a best-selling novelist, who visits a women's college in New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
to research her next book, an exposé of the romantic lives of young women on campus. The play has never been produced or published, and is currently collected with other Perelman and West papers at Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
, which they both attended.
Production attempts
West and Perelman finished the play in the summer of 1934 and hoped the play might be staged on Broadway that fall, but it was rejected by several producers, including Max GordonMax Gordon (producer)
Max Gordon was an American theatre and film producer. His credits included My Sister Eileen, which he produced both on stage and on film.-Biography:...
. In 1936 West sent Perelman a letter repeating an earlier suggestion to try and find an agent for the play. He suggested that if Perelman thought it would damage their reputations, they could use a pseudonym, perhaps "Diana Breed Latimer", the play's protagonist. After West's death in 1940 Perelman revised the play, but no one was interested in producing it.
External links
- Perelman-West Play in New Trove at Brown - New York Times article