Martin Crimp is one of the most exciting British playwrights to emerge in the 1980s: his work is characterised by its vision of contemporary society as a place of social decay, moral compromise and barely suppressed violence. He is also a writer whose work engages with both British theatre traditions and European ones. Crimp was born on 14 February 1956 in Dartford, Kent, but the family moved to York when his father, who was employed by British Rail, was transferred there. Crimp attended Pocklington Grammar School, in Yorkshire, which has also educated playwright Tom Stoppard. He then read English at St Catharine’s College, Cambridge, where his first play

Clang

– based on Beckett and Ionesco – was staged by fellow student Roger Michell, now a film and theatre director. Graduating in…

2527 words

Citation: Sierz, Aleks. "Martin Crimp". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 12 November 2004 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=5860, accessed 19 March 2024.]

5860 Martin Crimp 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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