Five Plays

A collection of five selected plays by playwright Hal Lieberman, including "Brother Faustus," which won a Mellen Poetry Press award, and "Kafka in Love," which had a successful run in London.

A collection of five selected plays by playwright Hal Lieberman, including "Brother Faustus," a play in verse that won a Mellen Poetry Press award, and "Kafka in Love," which had a successful run in London. About "Kafka," critic Roger Fosse said "the magical quality of this play lies in the astonishing range of forms that Lieberman has skillfully fused together." Also included is the play "Leavings." Sylvie Drake of the L.A. Times described the course of action as having "moments of great beauty."

Hal Lieberman has lived through World War I, the flu epidemic of 1918, the Great Depression, service in World War II, and a successful clinical trial for acromegaly. He started writing at age 50, when he was unable to go back to work as a printing pressman and was invited to join the Los Angeles Art Theatre, under the leadership of Donald Freed. Over the next few decades he succeeded in becoming a playwright, winning two national awards, the Forest Roberts (for Franz and Dora) and The Playwrights Showcase (for Leavings). He lives with the loving help of his poet/playwright wife, Lillian Hara, his son Carl, and the good graces of the Veterans Administration.