Norm & Ahmed - Softcover

Alex Buzo

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1925005283 ISBN 13: 9781925005288

Publisher: Currency Press Pty.Ltd (AUS), 2015

Synopsis

'Buzo has something real and immediate to say about Australian attitudes. He makes the audience uneasy about the unperceptiveness of an 'average' Aussie confronted by a well-mannered, educated Pakistani student. Norm parades many of the proper, accepted attitudes which [...] are shot through the fabric of the Australian character.' - Griffen Foley, Daily Telegraph, 10 April 1968

Written and performed in 1968, Norm and Ahmed was Alex Buzo's first performed play. It gained immediate notice, both for Norm's spectacular language and for the character of Ahmed, one of the first South Asian characters to feature in contemporary Australian theatre. Still alarmingly relevant in the 21st century, Norm and Ahmed has earned its place as a classic of Australian theatre due to its timeless themes and the heightened language, performance style and concern with the behaviour of Australians, its origins and causes that characterised the New Wave.

About this title

About the Author

ALEX BUZO was born in Sydney. He was educated at the Armidale School, the International School in Geneva and the University of New South Wales from which he graduated with a BA in 1965. In 2005 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from the University of New South Wales for his contribution to Australian literature. In 1968, Buzo's first play Norm and Ahmed was among the first to find a truly Australian voice and gained national attention primarily through a prosecution for obscenity. The exploration of alienation in this play remained a common theme in his work, often delivered with clever and stylish use of the Australian idiom and a tireless commitment to reflecting the true nature of Australian society. In 1972, Buzo was awarded the Australian Literature Society's Gold Medal for his play Macquarie. His plays include Rooted, The Front Room Boys, Coralie Lansdowne Says No, Martello Towers, Makassar Reef, Big River, The Marginal Farm, Shellcove Road and Pacific Union. His work has been produced around the world including the USA, the UK and South East Asia. He was also writer-in-residence at many theatre companies, schools and universities. Following Buzo's death in 2006, his daughter Emma founded the Alex Buzo Company in 2007.

Edition details

• Publisher: Currency Press Pty.Ltd (AUS)
• Publication date: 2015
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1925005283
• ISBN 13: 9781925005288
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 1