TO SAM COHN
Acknowledgments
For the original production of Drinks Before Dinner I was fortunate to have the association of Mike Nichols, director, who agitated consistently for a clarity of language and event, and in numerous ways contributed to my understanding of the play; Christopher Plummer, who brought his prodigious skills to the role of Edgar, and afforded me many crucial insights from the performer’s point of view; and Joe Papp, producer, who created an environment conducive to experimentation, and provided both support and criticism in generous amounts. To them and to all the members of the cast and crew, I am deeply indebted.
BOOKS BY E. L. DOCTOROW
NOVELS
Welcome to Hard Times
Big As Life
The Book of Daniel
Ragtime
PLAY
Drinks Before Dinner
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
E. L. DOCTOROW was born in New York and educated at Kenyon College and Columbia University. His novels include Welcome to Hard Times; The Book of Daniel, a National Book Award nominee; and Ragtime, winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction. Drinks Before Dinner was first performed at the New York Shakespeare Festival’s Public Theater in the fall of 1978.
FROM E. L. DOCTOROW
AMERICAN LITERARY MASTER
ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD
BILLY BATHGATE
THE BOOK OF DANIEL
CITY OF GOD
CREATIONISTS
DRINKS BEFORE DINNER
JACK LONDON, HEMINGWAY, AND THE CONSTITUTION
LIVES OF THE POETS
LOON LAKE
THE MARCH
RAGTIME
SWEET LAND STORIES
THE WATERWORKS
WELCOME TO HARD TIMES
WORLD’S FAIR
And look for
ANDREW’S BRAIN
A radical trip into the mind of a man
as he thinks about how to make
sense of his life and times
www.ELDoctorow.com
Available wherever books are sold www.AtRandom.com