Alive in Time

Almost 50 years after he first hit the headlines as Ireland's most challenging playwright, the 'angry young man' of those times Tom Murphy still commands his place at the pinnacle of Irish theatre. His work is mainly associated with the Abbey and Druid but is likely to crop up anywhere an enterprising company is looking for material which goes to the heart of those areas of feeling, thought and experience which perplex and stimulate us today.  Still writing gripping plays to rival the masterpieces he has already contributed, such as A Whistle in the Dark, The Sanctuary Lamp, The Gigli Concert and Conversations on a Homecoming, Murphy fully deserves the honour intended by this book to mark his 75^th birthday.

Here 17 new essays by prominent critics and academics, with an introduction by Christopher Murray, survey Murphy's dramatic oeuvre in a concerted attempt to define his greatness and enduring appeal, making this book a significant study of a unique genius.