David Mamet is one of the most widely recognized and prolific play- and screenwriters of the last quarter of the twentieth century, and he continues to make original contributions to theater, film, and television. For many, he is probably as well-known for his reputation—partly deserved, partly invented by Mamet, audiences, and critics—as he is for his work. In his writing, the predominant ethic is one of competition. The settings are often hard-bitten, seedy, dehumanized, and dehumanizing, and they are populated by the exploitative and the exploited. The tenor is typically blunt and sometimes nasty. The action can be violent. Perhaps the most frequently noted feature of his work, however, is the language. Known as “Mametspeak” or “Mamet-ese”, it is fragmentary, ambiguous,…
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Citation: Bryan, Richard. "David Mamet". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 09 February 2011 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=2904, accessed 16 April 2024.]
