Lorca: The House of Bernarda Alba: A Drama of the Women in the Villages of Spain [Hardcover]

The House of Bernarda Alba is by far Lorca's strongest play - probably the twentieth century's greatest Spanish drama and one of the ten or twenty greatest of the century overall. Lorca unfortunately did not live to complete his next play, but this is in many ways his drama's culmination, the masterwork he had been working for his whole career. He has skillfully pared back poetic imagery to the point where The House strongly resembles most modern prose drama, but it is not a step back. The occasional lyricism is so well-done and appropriate that, if anything, this is the seamless welding he had been working for from the start. He has also pared back elsewhere; the play is a masterpiece of concision in several ways. Just as Yerma followed naturally from Blood Wedding in focusing near-exhaustively on a single female character, here all characters are female. One male is very important to the plot but never appears - a decision that works better than the more obvious route could have. Many women's/feminist issues again inevitably arise, but this has far wider appeal. Issues of family, class, marriage, etc. resonate powerfully across cultures and time, raising Lorca above the "Spanish" category in which it is often so easy to put him. The plot is again nothing revolutionary, but execution is masterful. Various emotions reach almost unbearable peaks throughout, and Lorca's deft hand with timing and suspense is at full throttle. Symbolism has also been pared down, at least as essential to the plot as ever but far more subtle. It is skillfully embedded into the play's very fabric rather than being thrust forward as in Blood, making a work that, like all great works, can be appreciated on several levels.

This brings up the main unavoidable crux in reading Lorca - he is not an easy read. Even those eager to enjoy and/or appreciate him may well have significant difficulty. Matters of taste aside, he uses symbolism so heavily that anyone not paying close attention will miss essential points - even basic plot elements. This and frequent lyrical deployment set him apart from nearly all modern drama; those who do not know what to expect may be taken by inauspicious surprise. These are problems even for those who read Lorca in Spanish, but translation of course compounds them. Since Lorca works his vast knowledge of Spanish culture into his work so thoroughly, those unfamiliar with it will miss much - not only symbolism but even basic plot points. Finally, as one might expect from a writer who was a director and actor as well as writer, Lorca put more emphasis on physical elements than the vast majority of playwrights. These are nearly impossible to reproduce on paper, and he indeed does not even try; stage directions are minimal, and almost no description is given. This was of course not a problem when he was alive, for he could add them himself in production, but readers are now left significantly hanging. There is no solution other than seeing the plays performed, and those who wish only to read him - or are unable to attend a play - must put up with the deficiency. It fortunately is not fatal; there is still much to enjoy and appreciate, even if we are all too aware that we are missing something.

Provided me with the help I needed in order to understand some of the archaic language used during that period.

I have played Poncia in this play and I really enjoyed it. We only did a short part out of it but I wanted to do more. I recommend reading this book but if you can perform it!

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