Shaffer, Sir Peter

Shaffer, Sir Peter

▪ British writer
in full  Sir Levin Peter Shaffer 
born May 15, 1926, London, Eng.

      British playwright of considerable range who moved easily from farce to the portrayal of human anguish.

      Educated at St. Paul's and Trinity College, Cambridge, Shaffer first worked for a music publisher and then as a book reviewer. His first play, Five-Finger Exercise (1960), is a tautly constructed domestic drama that almost overnight established his reputation as a playwright. It was followed by The Private Ear, The Public Eye (both 1962), and The Royal Hunt of the Sun (1964), a portrayal of the conflict between the Spanish and the Inca—“hope and hopelessness, faithlessness and faith.” In 1965 Shaffer's adroit farce Black Comedy was performed. Equus (1973; filmed 1977), dealing with a mentally disturbed stableboy's obsession with horses, and Amadeus (1979; filmed 1984), about the rivalry between Mozart and his fellow composer Antonio Salieri, were successes with both critics and the public. Later plays include the biblical epic Yonadab (1985), Lettice and Lovage (1987), and The Gift of the Gorgon (1992). Shaffer was knighted in 2001.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • SHAFFER, SIR PETER — (1926– ), English playwright. Born in Liverpool, Shaffer was educated at Cambridge, where he edited the university magazine Granta. He became a music and theater critic and wrote several plays for broadcasting but made his name with the stage… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Hall, Sir Peter — ▪ English theatrical manager and director in full  Sir Peter Reginald Frederick Hall  born Nov. 22, 1930, Bury Saint Edmonds, Suffolk, Eng.       English theatrical manager and director who held notably successful tenures as director of the Royal …   Universalium

  • Peter Shaffer — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Shaffer. Sir Peter Levin Shaffer (15 mai 1926 à Angleterre/Liverpool [1]) est un écrivain, dramaturge et scénariste anglais. Sommaire …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Peter Shaffer — Sir Peter Shaffer (* 15. Mai 1926 in Liverpool) ist ein britischer Dramatiker des 20. Jahrhunderts. 1936 siedelte Shaffer mit seiner Familie nach London über. Später studierte er Geschichte, wofür er von der Universität Cambridge ein Stipendium… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Peter Hall (Regisseur) — Sir Peter Reginald Frederick Hall (* 22. November 1930 in Bury St. Edmunds, England) ist ein britischer Theater und Filmregisseur. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Leben und Wirken 2 Inszenierungen (Auswahl) 3 Publikationen (Auswahl) …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Peter Hall — Nombre real Peter Reginald Frederick Hall Nacimiento 22 de noviembre de 1930 (80 años) Bury St. Edmundus, Suffolk,  Inglaterra Año debut …   Wikipedia Español

  • Peter Shaffer — Infobox Writer name = Peter Shaffer bgcolour = silver caption = birthdate = May 15, 1926 birthplace = Liverpool, England deathdate = deathplace = occupation = Playwright Sir Peter Levin Shaffer (born May 15, 1926) is an English dramatist, author… …   Wikipedia

  • peter — peter1 /pee teuhr/, v.i. peter out 1. to diminish gradually and stop; dwindle to nothing: The hot water always peters out in the middle of my shower. 2. to tire; exhaust (usually used as a past participle): I m petered out after that walk. [1805… …   Universalium

  • Peter — /pee teuhr/, n. 1. Also called Simon Peter. died A.D. 67?, one of the 12 apostles and the reputed author of two of the Epistles. 2. either of these two Epistles in the New Testament, I Peter or II Peter. 3. a word formerly used in communications… …   Universalium

  • Peter — (as used in expressions) Altgeld, John Peter Behrens, Peter Lawrence Peter Berra Brook, Sir Peter (Stephen Paul) Carey, Peter (Philip) Cooper, Peter Davies, Sir Peter Maxwell Debye, Peter Doherty, Peter Charles Dunne, Finley Pe …   Enciclopedia Universal

Share the article and excerpts

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