Forms of Heaven: Plays Volume 2 - Hardcover

Barker, Clive

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0002255928 ISBN 13: 9780002255929

Publisher: HarperCollins, 1997

Synopsis

Following the success of "Incarnations" comes Clive Barker's second collection of three plays.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

Before he wrote the novels that made his name a touchstone of imaginative fiction worldwide, Clive Barker wrote for the theatre – plays which are, like his books, rich and multi-layered journeys into wildly inventive worlds.

Last year, with the publication of 'Incarnations', he, made three of these plays available to readers, actors, and directors alike. Now, in this second collection, he offers us three new journeys, each creating a vividly painted world. These are real worlds inhabited by real people, but something is warped, something is going wrong at the edges.

In 'Crazyface', we follow the adventures of a great clown cast adrift in the midst of Europe’s Dark Ages, where the line between Comedy and Tragedy is so fine it can be crossed in the blink of a fool’s eye.

In 'Paradise Street', Barker creates an indelible dramatic portrait of his native Liverpool, whose streets are transformed by an extraordinary band of time travellers.

In 'Subtle Bodies', a play which mingles sensuality and sexuality in a truly outrageous fashion, we are taken for a swim in the sea of dreams, ( which appeared later as Quiddity in Barker’s 'Great and Secret Show' and 'Everville').

Here – in the kind of theatrical coup all plays revel in – the power of desire and rage transforms a commonplace hotel into a ship that sails the dark waters of the dream-sea until misfortune overwhelms it ...

Though each of these plays evokes a very different world, they share a vision of how imaginative enriches and transforms our lives. Whether you are an avid theatre-goer or simply a reader who wants to fall into wonderland, these three plays are an opportunity to taste the passion and power of one of modern literature’s most original voices.

About the Author:

Clive Barker was born in Liverpool in 1952. His earlier books include ‘The Books of Blood’, ‘Cabal’, and ‘The Hellbound Heart’. In addition to his work as a novelist and playwright, he also iilustrates, writes, directs and produces for stage and screen. His films include ‘Hellraiser’, ‘Hellbound’, ‘Nightbreed’ and ‘Candyman’. Clive lives in Beverly Hills, California.

About this edition

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0002255928
• ISBN 13: 9780002255929
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 352