Eugene Gladstone ONeill was born on October 16; 1888 in a hotel bedroom in what is now Times Square; New York. Much of his childhood was spent in the comfort of books at boarding schools whilst his actor father was on the road and his Mother contended with her own demons. He spent only a year at University - Princeton - and various reasons have been given for his departure. However whatever his background and education denied or added to his development it is agreed amongst all that he was a playwright of the first rank and possibly Americas greatest. His introduction of realism into American drama was instrumental in its development and paved a path for many talents thereafter. Of course his winning of both the Pulitzer Prize (4 times) and the Nobel Prize are indicative of his status. His more famous and later works do side with the disillusionment and personal tragedy of those on the fringes of society but continue to build upon ideas and structures he incorporated in his early one act plays. Eugene ONeill suffered from various health problems; mainly depression and alcoholism. In the last decade he also faced a Parkinsons like tremor in his hands which made writing increasingly difficult. But out of such difficulties came plays of the calibre of The Iceman Cometh; Long Days Journey Into Night; and A Moon for the Misbegotten. Eugene ONeill died in Room 401 of the Sheraton Hotel on Bay State Road in Boston; on November 27; 1953; at the age of 65. As he was dying; he whispered his last words: "I knew it. I knew it. Born in a hotel room and died in a hotel room."
#3172636 in eBooks 2015-04-13 2015-04-13File Name: B00P0161P2
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. a voice teacher and early music fanBy George PeabodyLONG LIVE THE KNIFEOne of the the most tragic aspects of the 17th-18th century music scene was the creation of the castrato voice. Young boys; usually from poor families in Italy; and possessing an outstanding soprano voice; were sold to the various music schools (Naples was notable at this time) and castrated in a very barbaric fashion. Some survived and some did not and those who did were not always successful in future endeavors; though some became the rock stars of the era. Giusto Ferdinando Tenducci was one of these; who became internationally famous.In this treatise; for make no mistake; thats what this is as far as the reader is concerned; Helen Berry; Reader in Early Modern History at Newcastle University; relates the incredible story of opera star Tenducci; and eventually halfway through the book gets to his marriage to teen-ager Dorthea Maunsell. Prior to getting there we are treated to miles and miles of minutiae that spins-off a main point. Now I appreciated the main point; but the minutiae was incredibly dull and really unimportant; moreover even the author admitted that it might not strictly speaking be exactly factual. I dont want to give the impression that the book is not scholarly for it is that; and Berry includes pp.221-299 of source material; so I never thought that it was thrown together in a slipshod manner; it just didnt hold my interest; though I stayed to the bitter end; but the era of the castrati is one of my personal interests and I really picked up very few important facts about that era.To continue with the scandalpart of the book my first thought is that it was indeed most unfortunate that Tenducci became involved and eventually married this silly teen-age girl. Dorthea Maunsell; the spoiled and youngest daugher of a wealthy but somewhat domineering father; was taking singing lessons from Tenducci; and when she was told by her Father that she had to marry a certain man that she did not like; she coerced Tenducci into eloping with her; and thus the drama begins. And the story has many twists and turns and details that I found uninteresting but if one is prone to enjoy a scandal with all its ramifications then there is much in it to tell. And; of course; Tenducci was famous and Dorthea came from Irish nobility so that is the setting for the drama. However; in time; Dorthea met a man with whom she fell in love; and left Tenducci who was heartbroken.This book has some value for the historian; not so much for the musician. There are in fact many wild type dramas throughout history dealing with musicians and their life situations; so this is just another tale.THE GUARDIAN: "The Castrato and his wife" is a readable book that relies on scholarly detective work and strong narrative to tell this tragic tale. It presents some insight into the world of opera (cant say I agree with that); the Catholic church; and into the nature of sex and marriage in Georgian Britian."12 of 14 people found the following review helpful. Jolting us out of our comfort zoneBy MillamantThis is an intriguing; and ultimately sad story; focussing on the life of star castrato Guisto Tenducci; whose successful career as an opera singer in Georgian London resulted in a scandal when he eloped with and married the daughter of a prosperous Irish lawyer. Author Helen Berry writes in her book how; happy and comfortable within her chosen period as an historian; her first encounters with the Tenducci case shocked her into a whole new way of looking at the period. What in the world; she asks; can one make of a society where parents collude in the savage castration of little boys (without anaesthetic; one must remember); in the hope that they might somehow make it as singers? As a fan of Baroque opera; I must admit; I experienced a similar jolt recently during a Metropolitan Opera broadcast of Rodelinda. During the intermission interviews; when counter-tenor Iestyn Davies was asked who his favourite composer was; the wholly unexpected response was "Benjamin Britten; because he actually wrote for counter-tenors". As Davies correctly pointed out; all the Baroque repertoire now sung by todays star counter-tenors was written for castrati; who had very different vocal qualities; what we hear sung today can only ever be a modern approximation of the original musical experience. Its shocking how easily the modern opera goer forgets this. Because we are accustomed to hearing period orchestras and men singing in high voices in a way that was unheard of a generation or so ago; we think we understand the Baroque vocal aesthetic. Clearly; we dont. For me; the experience of reading The Castrato and his Wife only served to emphasise the enormous gulf between our own age and one where the patronage and enjoyment of some of operas most glorious music inevitably involved the illegal torture and mutilation of children. Born in Tuscany; Tenducci was a surplus son of a couple in domestic service. The decision to have him castrated was evidently taken by his father; in an extraordinary legal deposition; his mother later testified how she had skulked in the corridor during the surgery; too scared to go into the room; and had wept when she heard her little boys screams of pain. Recovered from the surgery; Tenducci was sent to train as a singer; his mutilation immediately qualifying him for an education way beyond that which he could have hoped to obtain as a servants son. He was prodigiously talented; and in his early twenties; was head-hunted by talent scouts in London. He was to spend most of his career in Britain; and had considerable success as a singer. Like a modern pop star; he made lots of money; but did not always know how to hang onto it; and he was no stranger to scandal. However; the disaster which struck him; and which is the subject of this book; was ironically the result of him trying to do something ordinary and; on the face of it; respectable. Tenducci fell in love; and got married. In Italy; where it was illegal for castrati to marry; there would have been no question of a marriage; but in Britain; the laws were untested; and the whole issue of castrati marriage was a fuzzy one. While working in Dublin; Tenducci became romantically involved with a girl almost half his age; the fifteen year old Dorothea Maunsell; the musically gifted youngest daughter of a successful lawyer who seems never to have considered Tenducci a danger to his daughter either sexually or emotionally. Evidently; Maunsell thought that because the singer was castrated; he was also incapable of feelings. The couple fell in love and when Dorotheas father; unaware of their attachment; tried to talk her into marrying another man; she suggested to Tenducci that they elope. The couple married clandestinely and ran off together; but were forcibly separated by Dorotheas family. After enduring various hardships; they were allowed to live together; and Dorothea even wrote a book about the vicissitudes of their courtship. It would nice to be able to say that they lived happily ever after. Unfortunately; the marriage seems to have come unstuck reasonably quickly. Whatever sexual activity took place between husband and wife; Tenducci was incapable of consummating their union in a manner which would have satisfied a court of law. Forced by their debts to return to Italy; Dorothea was obliged to call herself "Miss Maunsell" again; and soon left her husband for remarriage with another man; whom she may well have been involved with while they were still living in Britain. Still only twenty; she returned home; begged her familys forgiveness for her first misalliance; and with the assistance of her father; instituted a court case to rule her union with Tenducci invalid due to non-consummation. It is because of this case that we know so much about them; as sad and sordid medical details about her first husbands castration and impotence were aired in court. The marriage was declared invalid; and Dorothea disappeared into the mists of history with her second husband and their family. That Tenducci really loved Dorothea seems clear from this account. He was a grown man; thirty years of age; and had he remained in his Italian village and grown up as a servant; he would undoubtedly have married and had a family of his own. His talent; and the castration that preserved his voice; denied him these blessings; just as it gave him wealth and fame instead of poverty and obscurity. Tenduccis sin was to think he could somehow have it all: the fame; the success; and the one thing that most ordinary men would have taken for granted: the right to a wife of his own. He suffered terribly for his temerity; not only at the hands of Dorotheas family; but humiliatingly; from the actions of Dorothea herself; who chose to reject him for a normal man. Dorotheas actions are much harder to gauge: Helen Berry suggests a teenage infatuation; which; given Tenduccis fame and exotic air; may not be far from the truth. This crush; if such it was; did not survive the realities of married life. One gets the impression that this youngest child of a wealthy family must have been a spoiled tearaway; determined to get her own way; for all the evidence suggests that she was the driving force behind most of what happened. She was the one who proposed to Tenducci; she was the one who dictated and organised their elopement; she was the one who publicised the salacious details to the world in her book. She was clearly a determined; not to say headstrong young woman; and one cant help thinking that for a moment; she held out to Tenducci the one temptation he simply could not resist. This extraordinary story will appeal to anyone who is interested in 18th century history; early opera; or gender and womens issues in history--as well as to any general reader; who simply wants a fascinating read.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Ive received the book in good condition. Best regardsBy Nelson Assis BrasilDear Sir;Ive received the book in good condition. Best regards; Nelson.
