An Enemy of the People is Henrik Ibsens classic drama of the animosity that can befall someone whose actions; while in the best interest of the public good; threaten the economic well being of a community. "An Enemy of the People" is the story of Dr. Stockmann who; when charged with inspecting the local public baths; discovers that the water is contaminated. When Dr. Stockmann suggests expensive repairs; the local town; which derives much of their economic prosperity from the baths; turns against him.
#1078102 in eBooks 2004-04-01 2004-04-01File Name: B000FC1E6M
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Candid Life of a Driven GeniusBy Timothy HallinanJerome Robbins was a monster to many throughout his career. He was imperious; quick to take offense; both personally and politically treacherous (he turned on friends and lovers as easily as he turned on those whose left-wing sentiments he had once shared; naming names freely when he was called before the House Unamerican Activities Committee). But he was a brilliant choreographer and director; he introduced a modern-day American vernacular into ballet with "Fancy Free" and went on to create; direct; and/or choreograph such Broadway classics as "On the Town;" "Peter Pan;" "The King And I;" The Pajama Game;" "Bells Are Ringing"; "West Side Story;" "Gypsy." and "Fiddler on the Roof;" among many others. He imposed a reign of terror on his productions; often (like David Merrick) playing creative principals off against each other; he hogged billing and created whole new ways of being credited (the "name in a box" thing was his idea); and generally left a trail of bodies wherever he went. In the case of "West Side Story" he re-orchestrated Leonard Bernsteins score while Bernstein removed himself to a bar and got quietly drunk -- and Bernstein was no shrinking violet. But people fought to work with him on virtually every project because he had the golden touch: in addition to the shows listed above; he transformed out-of-town dogs into hits; including "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" and "Funny Girl." He was bisexual although he leaned toward homosexual; and the book is very good about his relationships; many of which ended in ruins; the one that endured; in off-again; on-again form for decades was with Montgomery Clift. One of the things I like best about this book is that Greg Lawrence neither demonizes nor whitewashes his subject; seeking instead to understand him. And I have to say that in the end we understand Robbins bad behavior much more clearly than we understand where his astonishing talent came from.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. An incredibly researched book. It is definitely a book ...By Elaine SheferAn incredibly researched book. It is definitely a book only for those who are interested in the dance world.This book gives you many insights into the person of Jerome Robbins and makes you appreciate how complicated the human being is. There is no yes or no about the book; i.e. you dont finish it either loving Robbins or hating him but maybe; as all those who worked with him; respecting him.I; being; an old war horse from that period; an old dancer and an x-New Yorker; could really identify with what Lawrence talks about; including ballets; places and dancers. It gave me a tremendous amount of knowledge about the professional world of dance; the people involved and the difficulties of choosing such a lifestyle. More than anything; you can appreciate what a genius Robbins was in a world that is so full of talent and egos.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. tedious and repetitiveBy dc metro areaThis book should have been edited to a substantially smaller volume. There was no need to itemize every career effort by Robbins; even the works that went nowhere. After about 300 pages; my interest waned and I started skimming. His upbringing; personality; demons and genius had been well established by this point. It wasnt necessary to have multiple people say essentially the same things over and over again; both positives and negatives. We got the picture. The chapter related to Robbins relationship with Balanchine was held back until almost the end; this seemed to be a carrot to keep the reader hanging in there.