French Literature Reviews - 2026
Al. Sierz, In-Yer-Face! British Theatre in the 1990s
Theatre and Performance
Aleks Sierz, In-Yer-Face! British Theatre in the 1990s
Translated from English by Nicolas Boileau and Delphine Lemonnier-Texier
Rennes: Presses universitaires de Rennes, "Le Spectaculaire" collection, 2011, 320 p.
- ISBN 13 (EAN): 978-2-7535-1439-3
- 18 €
Publisher's description:
Finally translated into French, In-Yer-Face Theatre (2001) shows that plays such as Trainspotting, Blasted and Shopping and Fucking are much more than works designed to shock. They constitute an incisive critique of modern life, its violence, the myth of post-feminism, and consumer society. Aleks Sierz was among the first to witness these plays, and his book is based on detailed interviews with the likes of Sarah Kane (Blasted), Patrick Marber (Closer), Patrick McDonagh (The Beauty Queen of Leenane), Mark Ravenhill (Shopping and Fucking), Anthony Neilson (Penetrator), and Philip Ridley (The Pitchfork Disney).
This work will be particularly useful for students preparing for the agrégation in literature, as it contains an entire chapter on the work of Sarah Kane.
Aleks Sierz is a visiting professor at Rose Bruford College, Sidcup. He is the author of The Theatre of Martin Crimp (Methuen Drama, 2006) and John Osborne's Look Back in Anger (Continuum, 2008), as well as Rewriting the Nation: British Theatre Today (Methuen, 2011). He is a member of the Critics' Circle of the United Kingdom and the Royal Society of Arts. He is also a journalist, broadcaster, lecturer, and theatre critic.
Contents:
- What is in-yer-face theatre?
- Shocking? You must be joking!
- Anthony Neilson
- Sarah Kane
- Mark Ravenhill
- Boys' toys
- Sex wars
- Black and blue
The 1990s marked a distinct shift in British playwriting, as a new generation of dramatists emerged in London and regional theatres to challenge conventional dramatic forms and middle-class sensibilities. Often associated with the Royal Court Theatre and other fringe venues, this wave of writing frequently engaged with gritty urban realism, explicit language, and visceral staging. Critics and scholars often discussed these works in relation to the broader currents of contemporary European drama and cultural anxieties surrounding millennial Britain. Aleks Sierz examines these developments through interviews with key playwrights of the period, tracing the origins and reception of works that sparked intense debate among audiences and reviewers alike.
This French edition makes a study of contemporary British drama accessible to francophone scholars and students, particularly those preparing for competitive examinations such as the agrégation in literature. The volume addresses prominent plays from the decade, including Sarah Kane's Blasted and Mark Ravenhill's Shopping and Fucking, examining their thematic preoccupations and cultural impact. Readers interested in contemporary British drama and the intersection of theatre and modern social critique may find this translation useful for their studies.