Status
Available
Genres
Collection
Publication
Rowohlt
Description
"NO EXIT was first presented in New York at the Biltmore Theatre with Claude Dauphin, Annabella, and Rugh Ford. Two women and one man are locked up together for eternity in one hideous room in hell. The windows are bricked up; there are no mirrors; the electric lights can never be turned off; and there is no exit. The irony of this hell is that its torture is not of the rack and fire, but of the burning humiliation of each soul as it is stripped of its pretenses by the cruel curiosity of the damned. Here the soul is shorn of secrecy, and even the blackest deeds are mercilessly exposed to the fierce light of hell. It is an eternal torment.--back cover
User reviews
LibraryThing member leslie.98
A performance might have been a 5*! This one act play shows a vision of what existential hell might be; as Cradeau says at the end "Hell is just -- other people". But not any random people, rather ones that are specifically chosen.
This was my first experience with Sartre - he and Camus are authors
This was my first experience with Sartre - he and Camus are authors
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that I have been nervous about reading. However, I found this easy to read and look forward to trying a longer work by him. Show Less
LibraryThing member margaretfield
three people meet in hell; you need a course in Sartre to really appreciate this play
LibraryThing member norabelle414
Three strangers are escorted into hell. It's a living room, in a fussy antique style, with a few couches and knick-knacks but no windows or doors. Where are their tormentors and devices of torture? Each other.
A short one-act play. Truly classic right down to its famous line - "Hell is other
Although I'm not sure how much of this play I really understood, I was especially intrigued by the gender roles involved. Garcin feels he is not masculine enough because he deserted the military, but isn't much concerned about the real reason he's in hell - abusing his wife and blatantly cheating on her. Garcin wants to sleep with Estelle despite not being terribly attracted to her, because he thinks it'll make him feel more like a man. Estelle wants to sleep with Garcin because, as Inez points out, she is constantly looking for validation from men. Estelle is afraid when Inez hits on her because she's not a man. Garcin looks for validation from Inez because she's a woman who is uninterested in him. Fascinating stuff, if the whole "cold-hearted, cruel lesbian" trope is a little tired at this point.
A short one-act play. Truly classic right down to its famous line - "Hell is other
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people". Though, despite the characters' insistence that they are torturing each other, it becomes increasingly obvious that they are each their own torturer. They see themselves reflected in each others' eyes - literally, in one case - and hate what they see.Although I'm not sure how much of this play I really understood, I was especially intrigued by the gender roles involved. Garcin feels he is not masculine enough because he deserted the military, but isn't much concerned about the real reason he's in hell - abusing his wife and blatantly cheating on her. Garcin wants to sleep with Estelle despite not being terribly attracted to her, because he thinks it'll make him feel more like a man. Estelle wants to sleep with Garcin because, as Inez points out, she is constantly looking for validation from men. Estelle is afraid when Inez hits on her because she's not a man. Garcin looks for validation from Inez because she's a woman who is uninterested in him. Fascinating stuff, if the whole "cold-hearted, cruel lesbian" trope is a little tired at this point.
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LibraryThing member DanielSTJ
This play was interesting for the ideas that it represented. However, the dialogue felt a little formal and unrealistic and this detracted from the sense of reality that the play was trying to establish. Overall, the action was implicit rather than explicit and there were various undertones and
3 stars.
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themes running through the play. Still, it had a purpose and was a decent read.3 stars.
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LibraryThing member et.carole
A perfect and devastating thing to read directly before college graduation.
LibraryThing member Aidan767
An important work that demonstrates bad faith in clear terms. The vices of each character are amplified by their inability to take responsibility for their own action and own persons, thereby destroying themselves and the people around them.
Language
Original language
French
Original publication date
1944
Physical description
75 p.; 7.48 inches
ISBN
3499157691 / 9783499157691