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Maurice Valency

April 25, 2024

Maurice Valency (22 March 1903 – 28 September 1996) was a playwright, author, critic, and popular professor of Comparative Literature at Columbia University, best known for his award-winning adaptations of plays by Jean Giraudoux and Friedrich Dürrenmatt. He wrote several original plays,[1] but is best known for his adaptations of the plays of others. Valency's version of The Madwoman of Chaillot would become the basis of the Jerry Herman musical Dear World on Broadway.

Maurice Valency
Born22 March 1903
New York City, New York
Died28 September 1996
New York City
OccupationPlaywright, Author, Critic
NationalityAmerican
Alma materCity College of New York
Columbia Universityhttps://www.nytimes.com/1996/09/29/nyregion/maurice-valency-93-theatrical-master-dies.htmlmau
Notable worksadaptations of The Visit,
The Madwoman of Chaillot, Ondine, The Apollo of Bellac
Notable awardsNew York Drama Critics' Circle best foreign play (3 times)
Tony Award nomination for Best Play in 1959
SpouseJanet Cornell

He is also noted for his book The Flower and the Castle: An Introduction to Modern Drama. John Gassner in his review of this book said that Mr. Valency brought to his work "a lifetime of study and experience as well as a viewpoint both Olympian and engaged."[2] Valency also wrote television plays, adaptations of librettos, novels, and academic works on Chekhov, Strindberg, Ibsen and Shaw.

Life edit

Maurice Valency was educated in New York City, getting a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1923 at City College, and at Columbia University getting a Bachelor of Laws degree in 1927 (Valency was a member of the New York bar), and a Ph.D. in 1938.[3] In 1936 he married the artist Janet Cornell; they remained married for 60 years until Valency's death in New York City at the age of 93.[1]

Valency was a professor of comparative literature at Columbia and also taught dramatic literature at Juilliard and at Brooklyn College.[3] He spoke seven languages.[2]

Awards edit

  • New York Drama Critics Circle Award for best foreign play, 1949, for his adaptation of The Madwoman of Chaillot by Jean Giraudoux[4]
  • New York Drama Critics Circle Award for best foreign play, 1954, for his adaptation of Ondine by Jean Giraudoux[4]
  • New York Drama Critics Circle Award for best foreign play, 1959, for his adaptation of The Visit by Friedrich Dürrenmatt[4]
  • Tony Award nomination for Best Play, 1959, for his adaptation of The Visit[5]
  • Ford Foundation Fellowship, 1958[3]
  • Guggenheim Fellowship, 1960[6]

Works edit

Adaptations edit

  • The Madwoman of Chaillot (Jean Giraudoux), Pub: Random House, New York, 1947, OCLC Num: 639892557
  • The Enchanted: a comedy in three acts (Jean Giraudoux), Pub: Random House, New York, 1950, OCLC Num: 818215
  • The Virtuous Island: a play in one act (Jean Giraudoux), Pub: Samuel French, New York, 1956, OCLC Num: 2070415
  • The Queen's Gambit: a romantic comedy in three acts (Eugène Scribe), Pub: Samuel French, New York, 1956, OCLC Num:: 504510488
  • Four plays: The Madwoman of Chaillot, The Apollo of Bellac, The Enchanted, Ondine, adapted, and with an introduction by Maurice Valency (Jean Giraudoux), Pub: Hill and Wang, New York, 1958, OCLC Num: 70459302
  • The visit: a play in three acts (Friedrich Dürrenmatt), Pub: Random House, New York, 1958, OCLC Num: 1379852
  • Feathertop, Pub: Dramatists Play Service, New York, 1998
  • La Périchole (opera libretto), The American University Theatre, 1970, OCLC Num: 690595158
  • The Reluctant King (opera libretto)

Original works edit

  • The palace of pleasure: an anthology of the novella (with Henry Levtow), Pub: Capricorn Books, New York, 1960, OCLC Num: 296836
  • In praise of love: an introduction to the love-poetry of the Renaissance, Pub: Macmillan, New York, 1958, OCLC Num: 313778
  • The Thracian horses, Pub: Dramatists Play Service, New York, 1963, OCLC Num: 2684110
  • The flower and the castle: an introduction to modern drama, Pub: Macmillan, New York, 1963, OCLC Num: 330053
  • The breaking string: the plays of Chekhov, Pub: Oxford University Press, New York, 1966, OCLC Num: 712186
  • The cart and the trumpet: the plays of George Bernard Shaw, Pub: Oxford University Press, New York, 1973, OCLC Num: 627998
  • Savonarola (play), 1974
  • Regarding Electra: a play in one or two acts, Pub: Dramatists Play Service, New York, 1976, OCLC Num: 2918272
  • Conversation with a sphinx: a play in one act, Pub: Dramatists Play Service, New York, 1980, OCLC Num: 6925360
  • The end of the world: an introduction to contemporary drama, Pub: Oxford University Press, New York, 1980, OCLC Num: 5051656
  • Ashby: a novel, Pub: Schocken Books, New York, 1984, ISBN 0-8052-3907-3
  • Julie: a novel, Pub: New Amsterdam, New York, 1989, ISBN 0-941533-44-1
  • Tragedy, Pub: New York: New Amsterdam, 1991, ISBN 1-56131-009-3

Television plays edit

  • 1951: Battleship Bismarck CBS-TV
  • 1953: Toine (Omnibus), CBS-TV
  • 1953: The Man without a Country (Omnibus), CBS-TV
  • 1954: The Apollo of Bellac (Omnibus), CBS-TV
  • 1955: She Stoops to Conquer (Omnibus), CBS-TV
  • 1956: The Virtuous Island (for Omnibus), ABC-TV
  • 1957: The Second Stranger (General Electric Theater), CBS-TV
  • 1957: Feathertop (General Electric Theatre), CBS-TV (adaptation of story by Nathaniel Hawthorne)[7]

References edit

  1. ^ a b Willis, John; Lynch, Tom, eds. (1999). "Maurice Valency". John Willis Theatre World 1996-1997 Season Volume 53. Applause Theatre Book Publishers. p. 260. ISBN 1-55783-343-5. OCLC 42465014. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
  2. ^ a b Gussow, Mel (29 September 1996). "Maurice Valency, 93, Theatrical Master, Dies". The New York Times. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
  3. ^ a b c Columbia University Archives, Maurice Valency papers, 1945–1963
  4. ^ a b c New York Drama Critics' Circle, Best Foreign Play
  5. ^ Tony Award for Best Play, 1950s
  6. ^ The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
  7. ^ Hawthorne, Nathaniel, adapted by Maurice Valency, "Feathertop," in Fifteen American One-Act Plays, Paul Kozelka, ed., New York: Washington Square Press, 1961.

External links edit

  • Maurice Valency at the Internet Broadway Database  , Retrieved 25 September 2010
  • Maurice Valency at the Internet Off-Broadway Database, Retrieved 11 June 2017
  • Maurice Valency at IMDb, Retrieved 25 September 2010
  • Maurice Valency at doollee.com, the playwright's data base, Retrieved 25 September 2010
  • Finding aid to Maurice Valency papers at Columbia University. Rare Book & Manuscript Library.

April 25, 2024
maurice, valency, march, 1903, september, 1996, playwright, author, critic, popular, professor, comparative, literature, columbia, university, best, known, award, winning, adaptations, plays, jean, giraudoux, friedrich, dürrenmatt, wrote, several, original, pl. Maurice Valency 22 March 1903 28 September 1996 was a playwright author critic and popular professor of Comparative Literature at Columbia University best known for his award winning adaptations of plays by Jean Giraudoux and Friedrich Durrenmatt He wrote several original plays 1 but is best known for his adaptations of the plays of others Valency s version of The Madwoman of Chaillot would become the basis of the Jerry Herman musical Dear World on Broadway Maurice ValencyBorn22 March 1903New York City New YorkDied28 September 1996New York CityOccupationPlaywright Author CriticNationalityAmericanAlma materCity College of New York Columbia Universityhttps www nytimes com 1996 09 29 nyregion maurice valency 93 theatrical master dies htmlmauNotable worksadaptations of The Visit The Madwoman of Chaillot Ondine The Apollo of BellacNotable awardsNew York Drama Critics Circle best foreign play 3 times Tony Award nomination for Best Play in 1959SpouseJanet Cornell He is also noted for his book The Flower and the Castle An Introduction to Modern Drama John Gassner in his review of this book said that Mr Valency brought to his work a lifetime of study and experience as well as a viewpoint both Olympian and engaged 2 Valency also wrote television plays adaptations of librettos novels and academic works on Chekhov Strindberg Ibsen and Shaw Contents 1 Life 2 Awards 3 Works 3 1 Adaptations 3 2 Original works 3 3 Television plays 4 References 5 External linksLife editMaurice Valency was educated in New York City getting a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1923 at City College and at Columbia University getting a Bachelor of Laws degree in 1927 Valency was a member of the New York bar and a Ph D in 1938 3 In 1936 he married the artist Janet Cornell they remained married for 60 years until Valency s death in New York City at the age of 93 1 Valency was a professor of comparative literature at Columbia and also taught dramatic literature at Juilliard and at Brooklyn College 3 He spoke seven languages 2 Awards editNew York Drama Critics Circle Award for best foreign play 1949 for his adaptation of The Madwoman of Chaillot by Jean Giraudoux 4 New York Drama Critics Circle Award for best foreign play 1954 for his adaptation of Ondine by Jean Giraudoux 4 New York Drama Critics Circle Award for best foreign play 1959 for his adaptation of The Visit by Friedrich Durrenmatt 4 Tony Award nomination for Best Play 1959 for his adaptation of The Visit 5 Ford Foundation Fellowship 1958 3 Guggenheim Fellowship 1960 6 Works editAdaptations edit The Madwoman of Chaillot Jean Giraudoux Pub Random House New York 1947 OCLC Num 639892557 The Enchanted a comedy in three acts Jean Giraudoux Pub Random House New York 1950 OCLC Num 818215 The Virtuous Island a play in one act Jean Giraudoux Pub Samuel French New York 1956 OCLC Num 2070415 The Queen s Gambit a romantic comedy in three acts Eugene Scribe Pub Samuel French New York 1956 OCLC Num 504510488 Four plays The Madwoman of Chaillot The Apollo of Bellac The Enchanted Ondine adapted and with an introduction by Maurice Valency Jean Giraudoux Pub Hill and Wang New York 1958 OCLC Num 70459302 The visit a play in three acts Friedrich Durrenmatt Pub Random House New York 1958 OCLC Num 1379852 Feathertop Pub Dramatists Play Service New York 1998 La Perichole opera libretto The American University Theatre 1970 OCLC Num 690595158 The Reluctant King opera libretto Original works edit The palace of pleasure an anthology of the novella with Henry Levtow Pub Capricorn Books New York 1960 OCLC Num 296836 In praise of love an introduction to the love poetry of the Renaissance Pub Macmillan New York 1958 OCLC Num 313778 The Thracian horses Pub Dramatists Play Service New York 1963 OCLC Num 2684110 The flower and the castle an introduction to modern drama Pub Macmillan New York 1963 OCLC Num 330053 The breaking string the plays of Chekhov Pub Oxford University Press New York 1966 OCLC Num 712186 The cart and the trumpet the plays of George Bernard Shaw Pub Oxford University Press New York 1973 OCLC Num 627998 Savonarola play 1974 Regarding Electra a play in one or two acts Pub Dramatists Play Service New York 1976 OCLC Num 2918272 Conversation with a sphinx a play in one act Pub Dramatists Play Service New York 1980 OCLC Num 6925360 The end of the world an introduction to contemporary drama Pub Oxford University Press New York 1980 OCLC Num 5051656 Ashby a novel Pub Schocken Books New York 1984 ISBN 0 8052 3907 3 Julie a novel Pub New Amsterdam New York 1989 ISBN 0 941533 44 1 Tragedy Pub New York New Amsterdam 1991 ISBN 1 56131 009 3 Television plays edit 1951 Battleship Bismarck CBS TV 1953 Toine Omnibus CBS TV 1953 The Man without a Country Omnibus CBS TV 1954 The Apollo of Bellac Omnibus CBS TV 1955 She Stoops to Conquer Omnibus CBS TV 1956 The Virtuous Island for Omnibus ABC TV 1957 The Second Stranger General Electric Theater CBS TV 1957 Feathertop General Electric Theatre CBS TV adaptation of story by Nathaniel Hawthorne 7 References edit a b Willis John Lynch Tom eds 1999 Maurice Valency John Willis Theatre World 1996 1997 Season Volume 53 Applause Theatre Book Publishers p 260 ISBN 1 55783 343 5 OCLC 42465014 Retrieved 6 May 2021 a b Gussow Mel 29 September 1996 Maurice Valency 93 Theatrical Master Dies The New York Times Retrieved 31 October 2021 a b c Columbia University Archives Maurice Valency papers 1945 1963 a b c New York Drama Critics Circle Best Foreign Play Tony Award for Best Play 1950s The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Hawthorne Nathaniel adapted by Maurice Valency Feathertop in Fifteen American One Act Plays Paul Kozelka ed New York Washington Square Press 1961 External links editMaurice Valency at the Internet Broadway Database nbsp Retrieved 25 September 2010 Maurice Valency at the Internet Off Broadway Database Retrieved 11 June 2017 Maurice Valency at IMDb Retrieved 25 September 2010 Maurice Valency at doollee com the playwright s data base Retrieved 25 September 2010 Finding aid to Maurice Valency papers at Columbia University Rare Book amp Manuscript Library Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Maurice Valency amp oldid 1073138445, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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