The Major Works of Brendan Behan by Peter René Gerdes (review)

BOOK REVIEWS 213 Gald6s (great as a novelist, but unimpressive as a playwright) in contrast to only a skimpy treatment of such major theatrical figures as Strindberg, Brecht and O'Neill (only 30 pages for the three together). Unconvincing is the word for the comparison Cortina makes between Edward "Ned" Sheldon's The Boss (presented in Detroit in 1911) and Gald6s' drama, La loea de la easa (Madrid, 1892). Cortina recognises that Sheldon followed closely the structure, plot and characters of the Spanish play. He acknowledges that "la sospecha de plagio puede surgir, debido al extremo paralelismo" and goes on to prove this "extreme parallel"; however, his conclusion is somewhat contradictory: on one hand he contends that it is difficult or impossible to prove that "The Boss es un arreglo 0 adaptaci6n de la obra escrita por Gald6s"; on the other hand he says that Perez Gald6s deserves most of the credit for writing the original. Although lacking in cohesion and planning, Cortina's book does not fail to be of general interest and illustrative. Especially interesting to Spanish readers is Chapter 3: the role of some major directors and theatre companies in the development of the American stage. The artistic life of Orson Welles is also skilfully highlighted. The result is a book which, in spite of the aforesaid faults, is a readable, informed introduction to some aspects of modern theatre. ERMINIO G. NEGLIA University of Toronto THE MAJOR WORKS OF BRENDAN BEHAN, by Peter Rene Gerdes. Bern: Herbert Lang; FrankfurtlM: Peter Lang, 1973.264 pp. Discussions of the merits of Behan's work are characterized by two major weaknesses. They tend to get bogged down on the fascinating but somewhat irrelevant question of Behan's personality, and they are usually uninformed on Behan's work in Irish and its relationship with his work in English. In his discussion of Behan's major works, Gerdes ignores the temptation to explore the controversial question of Behan's place in the long tradition which stretches back to Shakespeare's Captain Macmorris, and demonstrates his awareness of the importance of the hidden Behan, who was a sensitive Gaelic essayist, poet and playwright. The purpose of the study is "to give a critical evaluation of Behan's achievements as an artist" (p. 9), and "to counterbalance the image of the showman, which is such a handicap to objective judgement" (p. 10). To this end, Gerdes discusses the strengths and weaknesses of three plays: The Quare Fellow, An Giall and The Hostage, and Behan's contribution to Irish prison literature, Borstal Boy. The treatment of the Irish play on which The Hostage is based as a work of independent existence and merit is sound. Its existence is usually ignored or glossed over. Equally sound is the refusal to make a case for such works as Confessions ofan Irish Rebel, which were tape-recorded under doubtful circumstances . Gerdes argues that An Giall is the culmination of Behan's artistic achievement , and laments the fact that its intrinsic merits have not become known 214 BOOK REVIEWS outside of Ireland. By comparing the texts of An Giall and The Hostage, he demonstrates that the attribution of The Hostage solely to Behan is a misuse of his name and a barrier to a valid assessment of his total achievement, because the current text of the play is the product of a committee headed by Joan Littlewood of which Behan was simply a member and frequently absent at that. It is unlikely, however, that the validity of this argument will be widely accepted until an English translation ofAn Giall is available. Unfortunately, Gerdes tends to undermine parts of his argument by using weak or false evidence. He concludes his discussion of the contents of Borstal Boy with the exaggerated claim that: "Criticism so far has neglected to recognize the three main subjects that occupied Behan's mind during his imprisonment: politics , religion, and literature" (p. 123). To support the claim, he quotes part of the blurb on the Corgi Book Edition. He states that the epitome of Behan's wit and humour is to be found in the interrogation of Leslie by Monsewer in The Hostage, and as an...