Arnold Wesker

Arnold Wesker 1932-, English playwright, b. London. At various times he has been a carpenter's mate, a seed sorter, and a pastry cook. His plays Chicken Soup with Barley (1958), Roots (1958), and I'm Talking about Jerusalem (1960) form a trilogy about a family of Jewish Communist intellectuals. His socialist point of view is reflected in his other plays, notably The Kitchen (1961), Chips with Everything (1962), and The Four Seasons (1969). His later plays include The Wedding Feast (1974) and The Old Ones (1972), which describes the enforced isolation of the elderly.

Bibliography: See studies by G. Leeming and S. Trussler (1971), R. Hayman (1973), and G. Leeming (1982).

Wesker, Arnold (1932– ) English playwright and director. His plays have socialist themes, and his reputation was established with the trilogy Chicken Soup with Barley (1958), Roots (1959), and I'm Talking about Jerusalem (1960). Other works include Chips with Everything (1962), The Friends (1970), The Old Ones (1972), and Love Letters on Blue Paper (1978).

Wesker, Arnold (1932– ), playwright, born in Stepney of Jewish immigrant parents, and educated in Hackney. He worked at various jobs (including furniture-maker's apprentice and pastry cook) before making his name as a playwright. His early work was closely associated with the English Stage Company. His three plays, Chicken Soup with Barley (1958), Roots (1959), and I'm Talking about Jerusalem (1960), are now grouped together as the Wesker Trilogy (see below). The Kitchen (1959) shows the stresses and conflicts of life behind the scenes in a restaurant, which culminate in tragedy; its use of the rhythms of working life was highly innovative and did much to stimulate the growth of what was to be known (though in a slightly different sense) as kitchen sink drama. His subsequent plays include Chips with Everything (1962), a study of class attitudes in the RAF during National Service; The Four Seasons (1965); Their Very Own and Golden City (1966); The Friends (1970); The Merchant (1977); and Caritas (1981). Wesker has also published essays, screenplays, and volumes of short stories; the title story of Love Letters on Blue Paper (1974) was televised and adapted (1978) for the stage. The Birth of Shylock and the Death of Zero Mostel (1997) is an account of the disastrous events attending the New York production of The Merchant. As Much As I Dare, an autobiography, was published in 1994.