Tom Stoppard's intention is always to entertain, first and foremost. Though his plays are intellectually and philosophically rigorous, they're also good stories told with voluble wit. Sometimes he takes too easy a road to difficult issues in science and history, and for this he has been criticized by

Clever, Contemplative, Contemporary plays, Dense, Quirky, Sophisticated

Saul Bellow became one of the twentieth century's great novelists by following the dictum that is repeated to all young fiction writers: Write what you know. Beginning with his first novel, Bellow's voice spoke from the center of his life and times. "The Dangling Man" (1944) tells the story of a youn

Anxiety, Clever, Jewish literature, Post-war literature, Psychological, Sophisticated

Paula Vogel has reaped success from risk, taking on controversial subjects such as AIDS (notably in 'The Baltimore Waltz,' for which she won an Obie in 1992), gay parenting, pornography, and prostitution. It seems unlikely, but it was her most controversial subject matter that brought her the most ma

Contemporary plays, Feminist, Feminist theater, Gay/lesbian theater, Intimate, Layered, Political, Queer, Self-reflection, Sophisticated, Witty