No Exit and Three Other Plays (Vintage International)

Brilliant work from a brilliant man. I may not agree with his political views, but I can certainly see the connection between hell and other people.

Finally I read the play that quote came from.The content here is not Sartre's best but it's good enough to justify the purchase.

A play that should be a compulsory read!

Great. thanks

Excellent

Good translations of the original

I was on the fence with this collection of plays. I did like No Exit, that was my favourite; I would have given that one 5 out of 5 for sure. I loved the depiction of hell, no physical torture, no flames, just being trapped in a room with two other disagreeable people for eternity, that would be torturous. The Flies was the next one I like but that would have been more a 4 out of 5, it dragged on in some parts but I liked the modern reworking of the Electra-Orestes story. I didn't like Dirty Hands, it felt too pretentious and The Respectable Prostitute made me uncomfortable with that language used and the ending pissed me off, both of those plays were 2 out of 5 for me which let the whole collection down. I can't say this collection made me want to read any more Sartre, I don't see the fuss myself but that's just my taste I guess.x

For those of you (myself included) whose French abilities are not nearly adequate for enjoying such demanding, guilt-ridden dramas as 'Huis Clos'/'No Exit' in Sartre's original language, I strongly recommend this translation. Although I am personally at odds with certain aspects of Sartre's particular brand of Existentialism, I have to admit that he was in fact a rather good dramatist, and since his philosophy is quite tangible in all four plays, this collection should serve as a nice general introduction. I give this edition five stars for translation and for not coming apart after numerous re-readings (unlike so many of its brethren).

As advertised, timely delivery, good shape

The book is sooo good! I am amazed and in love with these plays. Its a must read!

Too many times principles in life are overstated and oversold, as if infallible or as if principles absolutely design the essence of civilization. (Don't they?) With these four plays, the great Sartre demonstrates--sometimes masterfully and other times less so--the limits of Ideals, the roles of conventions, the blinders of conceptual designs to remind us that we are free--we are prisoners of imagination, if we must be prisoners at all, but we can decide to be free mentally at any moment. Yes, it's quite Western, romantic, secular, and abstract; this book is a remnant of a bygone era; etc. But it dares to tell the reader she or he is powerful, and mostly succeeds, which is remarkable on its own, and an empowering message regardless of era.My favorite play was No Exit, followed by The Flies, The Respectful Prostitute, and lastly Dirty Hands, which I found too pedantic and loquacious as a story/play yet philosophically piquant, especially about party politics of the Left. The other three plays were well crafted and mesmerizing; I didn't feel I was being brow-beaten by an Existentialist but invited to reflect on human nature's machinations to auto-correct/direct--they were enlightening. Dirty Hands, however, seemed a thoughtful polemic dressed as a play--not the most overt ever (Waiting for Lefty) but overt enough to wonder about the footnotes that were missing to this essay written as a play. (Was this Sartre's answer to Plato?)Great book! I'd read it again, mostly; I'd recommend it, definitely. In our time, a little Sartre can be the realignment we all need.

Great book.

Sartre makes Existentialism come alive through these plays. The philosophical ideas are made understandable and one does not even have to know that this is an Existentialist work, in other words, the plays stand on their own as interesting and well written. I would have paid the full price just for the one play No Exit. Fantastic stuff - highly recommended.