Edward Einhorn (born September 6, 1970) is an American playwright, theater director, and novelist, noted for the comic absurdism of his drama and the imaginative richness of his literary works. A native of

Westfield, New Jersey Westfield is a Town (New Jersey), town in Union County, New Jersey, Union County, New Jersey, United States, located southwest of Manhattan. As of the 2010 United States census, the town's population was 30,316,Westfield High School, where he was an editor of the student newspaper ''

Hi's Eye Westfield Senior High School (WHS, or Westfield High School) is a comprehensive public high school located in Westfield, in Union County, New Jersey, United States, serving students in ninth through twelfth grades as the lone secondary school ...

''. He attended

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hemisphere. It consi ...

. In 1992 he started the Untitled Theater Company #61 in New York (co-founded with his older brother David Einhorn, who has produced plays for the company). With that company, Edward Einhorn directed T. S. Eliot's ''Sweeney Agonistes'',

Eugène Ionesco Eugène Ionesco (; born Eugen Ionescu, ; 26 November 1909 – 28 March 1994) was a Romanian-French playwright who wrote mostly in French, and was one of the foremost figures of the French avant-garde theatre in the 20th century. Ionesco inst ...

's '' The Bald Soprano'',

Dennis Potter Dennis Christopher George Potter (17 May 1935 – 7 June 1994) was an English television dramatist, screenwriter and journalist. He is best known for his BBC television serials '' Pennies from Heaven'' (1978), ''The Singing Detective'' (198 ...

's ''

Brimstone and Treacle ''Brimstone and Treacle'' is a 1976 BBC television play by Dennis Potter. Originally intended for broadcast as an episode of the series ''Play for Today'', it remained untransmitted until 1987. The play was made into a film version (released in ...

'', and Richard Foreman's ''My Head Was a Sledgehammer'', among other works. He staged a festival of the complete plays of

, a celebration of the total plays of

Václav Havel Václav Havel (; 5 October 193618 December 2011) was a Czech statesman, author, poet, playwright, and former dissident. Havel served as the last president of Czechoslovakia from 1989 until the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1992 and then ...

, a calypso musical adaptation of

Kurt Vonnegut Kurt Vonnegut Jr. (November 11, 1922 – April 11, 2007) was an American writer known for his satirical and darkly humorous novels. In a career spanning over 50 years, he published fourteen novels, three short-story collections, five plays, and ...

's ''

Cat's Cradle Cat's cradle is a game involving the creation of various string figures between the fingers, either individually or by passing a loop of string back and forth between two or more players. The true origin of the name is debated, though the fir ...

'', an adaptation of ''

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep ''Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?'' (retroactively retitled ''Blade Runner: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?'' in some later printings) is a dystopian science fiction novel by American writer Philip K. Dick, first published in 1968. The ...

'', and a "Neurofest" of plays on aspects of

neurology Neurology (from el, νεῦρον (neûron), "string, nerve" and the suffix -logia, "study of") is the branch of medicine dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of conditions and disease involving the brain, the spinal ...

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer th ...

, he directed ''Fairy Tales of the Absurd'', a trilogy of one-act plays, two by Ionesco and one (''One Head Too Many'') by himself. Other adaptations include ''

The Lathe of Heaven ''The Lathe of Heaven'' is a 1971 science fiction novel by American writer Ursula K. Le Guin. The plot concerns a character whose dreams alter past and present reality. The story was serialized in the American science fiction magazine ''Amazing ...

'', by Ursula Le Guin and ''City of Glass'', by

Paul Auster Paul Benjamin Auster (born February 3, 1947) is an American writer and film director. His notable works include ''The New York Trilogy'' (1987), '' Moon Palace'' (1989), ''The Music of Chance'' (1990), '' The Book of Illusions'' (2002), '' The B ...

. As playwright, Einhorn composed one-act and full-length plays, becoming known for his absurd comic style. One of his best-known plays, if not his best-known, is ''The Marriage of Alice B. Toklas by Gertrude Stein'', a farce set at a fantasy marriage between Stein and Toklas. The show received a Critic's Pick from Jesse Green, then co-chief reviewer of

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

. Another recent work is ''Alma Baya'', a

dystopian A dystopia (from Ancient Greek δυσ- "bad, hard" and τόπος "place"; alternatively cacotopiaCacotopia (from κακός ''kakos'' "bad") was the term used by Jeremy Bentham in his 1818 Plan of Parliamentary Reform (Works, vol. 3, p. 493). ...

absurdist science fiction play. Other works include dramas on Jewish legends and a series of plays on neurological and neuroscientific topics — ''The Neurology of the Soul'' (on neuromarketing), ''The Boy Who Wanted to be a Robot'' (on

Asperger syndrome Asperger syndrome (AS), also known as Asperger's, is a former neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction and nonverbal communication, along with restricted and repetitive patterns of beha ...

), ''The Taste of Blue'', (on

synesthesia Synesthesia (American English) or synaesthesia (British English) is a perceptual phenomenon in which stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway. People who re ...

), ''Strangers'' (on Korsakoff syndrome), and ''Linguish'' (on

aphasia Aphasia is an inability to comprehend or formulate language because of damage to specific brain regions. The major causes are stroke and head trauma; prevalence is hard to determine but aphasia due to stroke is estimated to be 0.1–0.4% in ...

). He adapted ''

Lysistrata ''Lysistrata'' ( or ; Attic Greek: , ''Lysistrátē'', "Army Disbander") is an ancient Greek comedy by Aristophanes, originally performed in classical Athens in 411 BC. It is a comic account of a woman's extraordinary mission to end the Peloponne ...

'' and ''

Iphigenia in Aulis ''Iphigenia in Aulis'' or ''Iphigenia at Aulis'' ( grc, Ἰφιγένεια ἐν Αὐλίδι, Īphigéneia en Aulídi; variously translated, including the Latin ''Iphigenia in Aulide'') is the last of the extant works by the playwright Euripide ...

'' for modern audiences. He has also written a few plays on Czech subjects, such as ''

Rudolf II Rudolf II (18 July 1552 – 20 January 1612) was Holy Roman Emperor (1576–1612), King of Hungary and Croatia (as Rudolf I, 1572–1608), King of Bohemia (1575–1608/1611) and Archduke of Austria (1576–1608). He was a member of the Ho ...

'' (based on the 16th century Emperor who lived in Prague), and ''The Velvet Oratorio'' (a Vaněk play staged at

Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 milli ...

and based on the events of the

Velvet Revolution The Velvet Revolution ( cs, Sametová revoluce) or Gentle Revolution ( sk, Nežná revolúcia) was a non-violent transition of power in what was then Czechoslovakia, occurring from 17 November to 28 November 1989. Popular demonstrations agains ...

). His most personal play, ''Drs. Jane and Alexander'', is a found text piece about his mother and his grandfather,

Alexander Wiener Alexander Solomon Wiener (March 16, 1907 – November 6, 1976), was an American biologist and physician, specializing in the fields of forensic medicine, serology, and immunogenetics. His pioneer work led to discovery of the Rh factor in 1937, ...

, who discovered the Rh factor in blood. Einhorn has also written two Oz novels, '' Paradox in Oz'' and ''The Living House of Oz'' (both illustrated by

Eric Shanower Eric James Shanower (born October 23, 1963) is an American cartoonist, best known for his Oz novels and comics, and for the ongoing retelling of the Trojan War as '' Age of Bronze''. Early life Eric Shanower was born on October 23, 1963. Upon hi ...

), as well as a number of short stories. His considerable output also includes two picture books on mathematical subjects for young readers: ''A Very Improbable Story'', on the subject of

probability Probability is the branch of mathematics concerning numerical descriptions of how likely an event is to occur, or how likely it is that a proposition is true. The probability of an event is a number between 0 and 1, where, roughly speaking, ...

, and ''Fractions in Disguise'', on the subject of

fractions A fraction (from la, fractus, "broken") represents a part of a whole or, more generally, any number of equal parts. When spoken in everyday English, a fraction describes how many parts of a certain size there are, for example, one-half, eight ...

. A number of his plays have also been published, including his Hanukkah drama, ''Playing Dreidel with

Judah Maccabee Judah Maccabee (or Judas Maccabeus, also spelled Machabeus, or Maccabæus, Hebrew: יהודה המכבי, ''Yehudah HaMakabi'') was a Jewish priest (''kohen'') and a son of the priest Mattathias. He led the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleuci ...

'' In 2011, he authored the first English language translation of

's final play, ''

The Pig, or Václav Havel's Hunt for a Pig ''The Pig, or Václav Havel's Hunt for a Pig'' is the final work by Václav Havel, co-authored by Vladimír Morávek. The English translation is by Edward Einhorn . Originally a short dialogue from 1987 (entitled simply ''The Pig'') and printed ...

'', as well as Havel's one-act, '' Ela, Hela, and the Hitch''. Both were published, as part of Theatre 61 Press' Havel Collection. Einhorn also wrote the introductions to all the books in the Havel Collection. In 2014 and 2015, he created and produced the show ''Money Lab'', an economic vaudeville, produced at HERE Arts Center in Manhattan and The Brick in Brooklyn. In 2020, his podcast ''The Resistible Rise of J. R. Brinkley'' was released, a four-part audio drama about the quack doctor turned politician, hosted by

Dan Butler Daniel Eugene Butler (born December 2, 1954) is an American actor known for his role as Bob "Bulldog" Briscoe on the TV series '' Frasier'' (1993–2004); Art in ''Roseanne'' (1991–1992); for the voice of Mr. Simmons on the ''Nickelodeon'' T ...

. In 2021, his podcast ''

The Iron Heel ''The Iron Heel'' is a political novel in the form of science fiction by American writer Jack London, first published in 1908.Kershaw, Alex. ''Jack London: A Life''. London: HarperCollins, 1997: 164. Background The main premise of the book i ...

'' was released, a three-part audio drama adaptation of the book by

Jack London John Griffith Chaney (January 12, 1876 – November 22, 1916), better known as Jack London, was an American novelist, journalist and activist. A pioneer of commercial fiction and American magazines, he was one of the first American authors to ...

. In 2022, he directed a film of ''The Last Cyclist'' written in Terezin by Karel Svenk and reconstructed by Naomi Patz, which was originally staged at

La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club (La MaMa E.T.C.) is an Off-Off-Broadway theatre founded in 1961 by Ellen Stewart, African-American theatre director, producer, and fashion designer. Located in Manhattan's East Village, the theatre began in the ...

and broadcast on

WNET WNET (channel 13), branded on-air as "Thirteen" (stylized as "THIRTEEN"), is a primary PBS member television station licensed to Newark, New Jersey, United States, serving the New York City area. Owned by The WNET Group (formerly known as the ...

Channel 13, a PBS affiliate, as part of Theater Close Up. Article about ''The Last Cyclist'' in ''The Times of Israel''
/ref>

References

External links

Edward Einhorn's website

Untitled Theater Company #61

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Einhorn, Edward 20th-century American novelists 1970 births Living people Jewish American novelists People from Westfield, New Jersey Jewish American dramatists and playwrights Novelists from New Jersey Translators to English Translators from Czech 21st-century American novelists Jewish dramatists and playwrights 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights 20th-century translators 21st-century translators American male novelists American male dramatists and playwrights 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American male writers Westfield High School (New Jersey) alumni 21st-century American Jews