by Alan Bennett
First published 1991
In this collection of Alan Bennett's acclaimed plays, the venerable playwright skewers the British class system and the human condition with biting wit and sharp insight. From the satire of Forty Years On, which parodies the decline of England through the lens of a school pageant, to the farcical Habeus Corpus, which gleefully celebrates sex and the body, Bennett's plays grapple with the absurdities and hypocrisies of English society. Whether it's the self-absorbed Labour MP in Getting On or the working-class family facing gentrification in Enjoy, Bennett's characters confront the gaps between their aspirations and the realities of their lives with a perfect blend of humor and pathos.
Genres: drama, satire, 20th-century, british-literature, comedy
Vibes: biting, thought-provoking, witty
Tropes: dark-humor, social-satire
Setting: Great Britain
Period: 20th-century
336 pages · Paperback · Faber & Faber