My Life in Art
by Constantin Stanislavski
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Description
Konstantin Stanislavski was a Russian director who transformed theatre in the West with his contributions to the birth of Realist theatre and his unprecedented approach to teaching acting. He lived through extraordinary times and his unique contribution to the arts still endures in the twenty-first century. He established the Moscow Art Theatre in 1898 with, among other plays, the premiere of Chekhov's The Seagull. He also survived revolutions, lost his fortune, found wide fame in America, show more and lived in internal exile under Stalin's Soviet Union. Before writing his classic manual on acting, Stanislavski began writing an autobiography that he hoped would both chronicle his rich and tumultuous life and serve as a justification of his aesthetic philosophy. But when the project grew to 'impossible' lengths, his publisher (Little, Brown) insisted on many cuts and changes to keep it to its deadline and to a manageable length. The result was a version published in English in 1924, which Stanislavski hated and completely revised for a Soviet edition that came out in 1926. Now, for the first time, translator Jean Benedetti brings us Stanislavski's complete unabridged autobiography as the author himself wanted it - from the re-edited 1926 version. The text, in clear and lively English, is supplemented by a wealth of photos and illustrations, many previously unpublished. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
I thought that "My Life in Art" - especially my edition, which is the most current translation of the Russian version with wonderfully illuminating footnotes and addendum - was a fantastic read. Stanislavski's voice is so clear, and he absolutely draws you in with his conversational and friendly prose. I enjoyed hearing his struggles as a young actor, especially since they are things I am coming up against in my own acting, and how he worked as an "actor's director". This book was very eye-opening for me, and it really helped me to look at various theatrical standbys in a new light.
1937 edition
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Lists
Trinity College Booklist (1951): Class Six, Biography
119 works; 4 members
Author Information
59+ Works 2,814 Members
Constantin Stanislavski (1863-1938), born Constantin Sergeyevich Alexeev, was an actor, director, and the greatest of all acting teachers
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- My Life in Art
- Original title
- Moja žizn' v iskusstve
- Original publication date
- 1924 (Russian) (Russian); 1937 (English: Robbins) (English: Robbins)
- People/Characters
- Constantin Stanislavski; Anton Chekhov
- First words
- I was born in Moscow in 1863, a time that may well be taken as a dividing point between two great epochs.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)May the Lord aid me in this task!
Classifications
- Genres
- Biography & Memoir, Nonfiction, Art & Design, General Nonfiction
- DDC/MDS
- 792.02 — Arts & recreation Recreation, sports, and performing arts Theater: Plays, Ballet, Opera modified standard subdivisions Techniques, procedures, apparatus, equipment, materials, miscellany
- LCC
- PN2728 .S78 .A3 — Language and Literature Literature (General) Literature (General) Drama Dramatic representation. The theater Special regions or countries
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 262
- Popularity
- 122,485
- Reviews
- 2
- Rating
- (4.33)
- Languages
- 7 — Chinese, English, Finnish, German, Indonesian, Italian, Spanish
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 23
- ASINs
- 20
