Mercer, David

Mercer, David

▪ British playwright
born June 27, 1928, Wakefield, Yorkshire, Eng.
died Aug. 8, 1980, Haifa, Israel

      playwright who established his reputation on the London stage in the mid-1960s with plays that examine the decay he saw in English society.

      Mercer left school at the age of 14 and became a medical laboratory technician. He eventually joined the Royal Navy and, after his discharge in 1948, studied painting at King's College, Newcastle upon Tyne, and took his B.A. in fine arts at Durham University (1953). He began to write while living in Paris but only became a full-time writer in the early 1960s, after a period of teaching.

      Mercer's first play, written for television, was Where the Difference Begins (1961); it was the first part of a trilogy, The Generations (1964). His Suitable Case for Treatment, televised in 1962, won a Writer's Guild award and was filmed in 1965 as Morgan—A Suitable Case for Treatment. From that play emerged Mercer's view of the world as anarchic, despairing, and insane, a view also apparent in The Governor's Lady, his first stage play (performed 1965), about a man who in utter frustration turned into a baboon and attacked his frigid wife. His other full-length plays include Ride a Cock Horse (1965), Belcher's Luck (1966), Flint (1970), After Haggerty (1970), Duck Song (1974), and Cousin Vladimir (1978). He wrote the screenplay for the motion picture Providence (1977), which was directed by Alain Resnais.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • David Henry Mercer — (1857–1919) was a Nebraska Republican politician. Born in Benton County, Iowa on July 9, 1857, he moved with his parents to Adams County, Illinois in 1858. After the American Civil War he moved again to Brownville, Nebraska. He graduated from the …   Wikipedia

  • MERCER (D.) — MERCER DAVID (1928 1980) Né dans le Yorkshire, fils d’un cheminot très attaché aux traditions du combat syndical, David Mercer incarne toutes les contradictions du théâtre engagé anglais des années soixante et soixante dix. Comme un Thomas Hardy… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • David Mercer (playwright) — For other people named David Mercer, see David Mercer (disambiguation). David Mercer (27 June 1928 – 8 August 1980) was an English dramatist. Contents 1 Biography 2 As fictional character 3 Works …   Wikipedia

  • David Mercer (cricketer) — Personal information Full name David Jeremy Matthew Mercer Born 7 May 1962 (1962 05 07) (age 49) Warrington, Lancashire, England Batting style Right handed Bowling style Right arm off break Role …   Wikipedia

  • David Mercer (writer) — For other people named David Mercer, see David Mercer (disambiguation). David Mercer is a technical writer of programming, web development and business books.[1] Mercer has contributed editorially to a number of titles for the open source… …   Wikipedia

  • David Mercer (broadcaster) — For other people named David Mercer, see David Mercer (disambiguation). David Mercer (born April 1950, Swansea, Wales) is a British television sports presenter. He played most sports at school and university, and won the Welsh Junior Doubles at… …   Wikipedia

  • David Mercer (haltérophile) — Pour les articles homonymes, voir David Mercer. David Mercer …   Wikipédia en Français

  • David Mercer (weightlifter) — Medal record Competitor for  United Kingdom Men s Weightlifting Olympic Games Bronze …   Wikipedia

  • David L. Cook — For other uses, see David Cook (disambiguation). David L. Cook David L Cook …   Wikipedia

  • David Mercer — may refer to: David Mercer (footballer) (1893 1950), England international footballer David Mercer (playwright) (1928–1980), English dramatist David Henry Mercer (1857–1919), U.S. Representative from Nebraska David Mercer (broadcaster) (born… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”