Balzac (radio play)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Genre | Drama play |
|---|---|
| Running time | 60 mins (7:30 pm – 8:30 pm) |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Hosted by | ABC |
| Written by | Catherine Shepherd |
| Directed by | Dion Wheeler |
| Original release | 14 August 1950 |
Balzac is a 1950 Australian radio play by Catherine Shepherd about the writer Honoré de Balzac. It was one of a series of biographies on writers written by Shepherd.[1]
The play was commissioned by the ABC to commemorate the anniversary of Balzac's death, a rare feat for the ABC.[2]
The play was produced again in 1952.[3]
The Age criticized Balzac, calling the play "a thoroughly artificial picture of the subject. Never once during the 60 minutes the play ran was one ever really convinced that Balzac was a genius with a place in the long succession of literary giants. No amount of subtle acting could have created that illusion either."[4]
A review from the same paper of the 1952 production called it "good reporting rather than good art, put over by competent actors."[5]
Shepherd later adapted the Balzac novel The Miner's Daughter for radio in 1959.[6]