John Osborne

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John James Osborne (born December 12, 1929 in London , England , † December 24, 1994 in Shropshire , England) was a British playwright .

Life

John Osborne was born in Fulham, London, the son of a copywriter . He received his education at Balmont College in Devon but was referred to the headmaster of the school after an attack.

Then it hit him to the theater , where he found a job as a stage manager and finally as an actor . He also tried his hand as a writer , and two of his early plays The devil inside her and Personal Enemy were listed on smaller stages before 1956 his most successful drama Look Back in Anger (dt .: Look Back in Anger ), which is still in the naturalistic style was written, submitted to the newly formed English Stage Company at London's Royal Court Theater . The troupe, under the artistic direction of George Devine , recognized the angry and disturbing expression of a new post-war sentiment in the drama and quickly included the piece as one of three in their repertoire. The reviews were mixed, but Kenneth Tynan - one of the most influential critics of the time - enthusiastically praised it: “ I couldn't love someone who doesn't want to look back in anger !” He said. “It's the best new piece this decade. ”The drama quickly became a commercial success, including in the United States , where it was played on Broadway and eventually made into a film with Richard Burton in the lead role.

His next work was The Entertainer (dt. The Entertainer ), which was in 1957 also premiered at the Royal Court Theater (starring Laurence Olivier is claimed) and the that, by Bertolt Brecht was inspired work. This is a claim that Osborne always denied. Nevertheless, one can see in his pieces that Osborne also played with the means of alienation , a technique that was largely founded by Bertolt Brecht. Whether he consciously applied Brechtian theater theory or not, his plays earned him great respect, especially among young people. The Entertainer uses the metaphor of the dying British variety tradition ( Music Hall ) to allude to the British Empire , the decline of which was made clear by the withdrawal of the fleets from the Suez Canal .

Luther (1961) and Inadmissible Evidence (1964) are expressive dramas that skillfully use Osborne's rhetorical ability to speak a more than clear language and yet manage toweavecomplexity, ambiguity and depth into the plot . A Patriot for Me ( A Patriot for Me ) 1965 focuses on homosexuality at the time of the turn of the century by the history of the Austrian spy Alfred Redl picks.

A Hotel in Amsterdam is often underestimated, while A Sense of Detachment (1975), despite its unconventionality and neo-avant-garde perspective, fell through with critics; Osborne's draft society was considered outdated. Osborne's works were no longer performed by the Royal Court Theater and his plays deteriorated in quality over the years that followed. His last piece Deja vu (1991), a continuation of Blick zurück im Zorn , gives an idea of ​​the former power of his skills, but overall it seems too nagging to be able to tie in with the fire of Blick zurück im Zorn .

John Osborne wrote not only dramas but also screenplays , mainly adaptations of his own works. For Tom Jones - Between Bed and Gallows , an adaptation of the novel Tom Jones: The Story of a Foundling by Henry Fielding from 1749, he was awarded an Oscar in 1964 and also won a BAFTA in the category Best British Screenplay .

John Osborne can also be seen as an actor in a number of films, including First Love (1970), Jack calculates (1971), Tomorrow never comes (1978) and Flash Gordon (1980). In the last ten years of his life, Osborne earned a lot of recognition (but also abuse) for the two-volume autobiography A Better Class of Person (1981) and Almost a Gentleman (1991), in which he was ruthlessly honest with enemies with a caustic pen, they are now from the family, society or the theater scene. This included his ex-wife, actress Jill Benett .

His openness and originality hit the zeitgeist and influenced other British playwrights such as Harold Pinter and Arnold Wesker . For the first time, he specifically used slang and vulgar language .

John Osborne died of complications from his diabetes .

Osborne was married a total of five times, including from 1963 to 1968 with Penelope Gilliatt . A child comes from this relationship. From the previous marriage with Mary Ure (1957–1963) two children were born.

Filmography (selection)

script

Literary template

As an actor

See also

  • Angry Young Men : a group of playwrights and writers in England named after Osborne's drama Look back in Anger

literature

  • Aleks Sierz: John Osborne's look back in anger . London [u. a.]: Continuum, 2008. ISBN 978-0-8264-9202-9 .
  • Hans Sahl: Looking back in anger: play in three acts . [John Osborne translated into German]. Frankfurt a. M .: Fischer, 1979. [Series of publications: Fischer Taschenbücher].
  • Peter Whitebrook: 'Dearest Squirrel ...': the intimate letters of John Osborne and Pamela Lane . (Includes bibliographical references and index). London: Oberon Books, 2018. ISBN 978-1-7868-2392-2 .

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Osborne, John
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Osborne, John James (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British playwright
DATE OF BIRTH December 12, 1929
PLACE OF BIRTH London , England, UK
DATE OF DEATH December 24, 1994
Place of death Shropshire , England, UK