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Arthur Adamov
(1908-1970)

Active: 1928-1970 in France, Continental Europe

By Lara Alexandra Cox (Exeter)

Indexing Data:

  • Active In: France, Continental Europe
  • Born In: Russia, Continental Europe
  • Activity: Playwright, Poet, Story writer

Life, Works and Times

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Arthur Adamov was a Russian-born playwright who came to be identified as an avant-gardist in French theatre following the Second World War. Typically associated with the Theatre of the Absurd, the playwright featured on the Parisian theatre scene until the year of his death in 1970. Although commonly dubbed an exponent of the Absurd, Adamov’s plays proved to outstrip this categorisation; his theatre changed dramatically over the course of 25 years. From his early work that focused on the concerns of the individual, to his political theatre that took inspiration from Brechtian theatre theory and underscored the preoccupations of the collective, Adamov’s theatre must be noted for its plasticity and experimental nature.

Born in

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First published 07 April 2009

Citation: Cox, Lara Alexandra. "Arthur Adamov". The Literary Encyclopedia. 7 April 2009.
[http://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=21, accessed 21 November 2009.]