The press and politicians. A delicate relationship. Too close; and danger ensues. Too far apart; and democracy itself cannot function. Pravda (which means "truth") is a satire written at the height of Thatcherism when huge political changes were afoot. The play essentially studies; through black humour and close scrutiny; the tabloid ethic and the media industry as a get-rich-quick-fix. In the programme for the original 1985 production of Pravda; Brenton wrote: "Pravda means the truth. English newspapers arent propaganda sheets. The question is; why do so many of them choose to behave as if they are?"The character of Lambert Le Roux is a South African newspaper tycoon and the owner of several companies; striding his way through the regional papers en route to Fleet Street. Turning broadsheets tabloid; dumbing down the message; and stretching the truth; Le Roux takes no prisoners as he manipulates politicians and creates a media monopoly out of a once-respected industry.Le Roux is bent on dominating Englands press as he has elsewhere in the world. As we see Le Roux accomplish his aims; we see also how the press is not the organ of truth we like to think it is. The dissemination of the truth is no longer its primary goal under the Lambert Le Rouxs of our world. What is important now is what sells.The play is an epic satire on the media in the Thatcher era; a morality tale about how Andrew; a young liberal journalist; finally succumbs to Le Roux; who makes him editor of a tabloid; and ndash; allegedly ndash; the play is a direct representation of Rupert Murdoch who; even in 1985; was a major force in media ownership. Howard Brentons and David Hares first collaboration since Brassneck in 1973; Pravda was premiered at the National Theatre in May 1985; starring Anthony Hopkins and directed by David Hare; and was awarded the London Standard Best Play Award; the City Limits Best Play Award; and the Plays and Players Best Play Award.This Modern Classics edition features an introduction by Philip Roberts; Emeritus Professor of Drama and Theatre Studies at the University of Leeds; and a foreword by Jonathan Church.
#1276361 in eBooks 2015-03-17 2015-03-17File Name: B00U6UZ6SU
Review
20 of 21 people found the following review helpful. Highly Recommend this oneBy Goingto1I have many; many; many watercolor books and this one is one that is worth your money as it has some real instruction and not just beautiful pictures and basics about supplies; brushes and paper; which seems to be repeated in just about every single watercolor book; endlessly. I do highly recommend. Deb in texas72 of 72 people found the following review helpful. Full of Little Gold NuggetsBy Carole PI bought this book somewhat reluctantly because while the description and other reviews sounded good; the preview of the feature paintings didnt thrill me that much. To be honest; Im not all that keen on the authors artistic style. And being an artist; I am nothing if not particular when it comes to visual things.However; I went ahead and bought it. And dont you know--once I dug in; I was compelled to read it cover to cover. Hoffman distills the craft of making good watercolor paintings to its fine essence; with concepts that are easy to wrap your brain around and easy to imagine applying in your own work. Every page offers some important little insight or key pointer that is presented in a way that Ive not seen in other books--often delivered with some gently acerbic humor which I enjoyed. As I progressed through the book; Hoffmans paintings grew on me a bit because they were so illustrative of the concepts he covers. Of course; there is work by artists other than Hoffman; and I appreciated that because it helps to see works in different styles which all demonstrate a particular concept effectively but in different ways. It is a thinking book though...if you are looking for simple formulas for how to paint a good picture; you wont find them here. This book asks questions; explores possible answers; and expects you to consider its questions yourself to find your own answers. It doesnt lead you by the hand but it does provide an excellent framework for an approach to producing well planned and well thought out watercolors. The language and examples are simple; supported by narrative that cuts right to the chase with a minimum of fuss.I think this is a must-have book for every serious watercolorist who wants to improve their work through careful consideration of what they are doing with each brushstroke. It has earned a place as a top ten favorite in my extensive library of watercolor instruction books and has already informed my painting process.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Reference BookBy William- Kindle CustomerPedagogically it is set out very nicely- I wish that I had read this 40 years ago!! It not only presents things in a logical way- it explains the reasoning behind. No hard and fast rules- just common sense really. However; it takes years of experience to learn all this. It may be too concentrated for an absolute beginner but for someone who has dabbled and wishes to improve then I recommend it highly.
