Peter Brook: A Biography
What Peter Brook has achieved in his 80 years is remarkable. Firmly rooted in tradition and constantly innovating, he achieved early commercial success in London's West End. He became one of the most visionary theater directors, found a comfortable niche in the British film industry, and established a well-regarded English- and French--language theater in Paris. He directed some of the most influential Shakespeare productions in Anglo-American theater and devoted much of the latter half of his life to exploring nontraditional, non-Western styles of theater, creating stage adaptations of two canonical religious texts, the SufiConference of Birdsand the Hindu epicThe Mahabarata. He wrotethebook on contemporary theater,The Empty Space(1968). Kustow's in-depth study focuses tightly on Brook the artist, describing in fascinating detail Brook's evolution from brilliant but spoiled child to internationally known and respected director, writer, and theater guru. Kustow's biography really gives one a sense for the man behind the curtain, and this despite the fact that Kustow spends precious little time on Brook's personal life.Jack HelbigCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved