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Mavis Gallant's only play, which premiered at Toronto's Tarragon Theatre on November 11, 1982, is a comedy that opens in 1942, in the heat of the battle against Fascism, when it was possible for Canadians to cheer for both Stalin and the Royal Family. At home in Montreal, Jenny (18) is impressed by her friend Molly's copy of a political pamphlet written by V. I. Lenin entitled What Is To Be Done? The two young women are fascinated by the refugees who are flooding into the city from Europe, and they spend their spare time on left-wing political activity in support of the Soviet Union, dreaming of the new world they're certain will arise out of the ashes of the war.Drawing on Mavis Gallant's unpublished journals, the introduction by Linda Leith situates the play in the context of the author's life and work. "Before she left for Europe in 1950, Gallant destroyed all the poems and stories she had been writing, along with all the diaries she had kept. In the Linnet Muir of the Montreal stories and in the Jenny and the Molly of the play we have vivid portraits of young women whose hopes and fears and passions and dreams tell us as much as we are ever likely to know about the young woman who became Mavis Gallant."
About this Author
Mavis Gallant (1922-2014) is one of the great prose writers of the twentieth century, publishing well over a hundred short stories in The New Yorker along with many collections of short fiction, two novels, essays, and the play What Is To Be Done? Her many national and international honours include the Governor General's Award for Fiction, the PEN Nabokov Award, a Lannan Literary Fellowship, and the Prix David. She was born in Montreal, moved to Ontario and later to New York City, returning at the age of eighteen to Montreal, where she worked briefly for the National Film Board and as a journalist for The Standard newspaper. In 1950 she moved to Europe and spent most of her life in Paris.
Reviews
"Gallant's knack for vivid detail is as assured here as it is in her most polished fiction. She's a sharp social critic, with a gift for pinpointing sham." ? Martin Knelman, Saturday Night "Ambitious, invigorating and blessed with a quirky rhythm which continually employs indirection to find direction out. Its generous servings of language are especially appreciated." ? Mark Czarnecki, Maclean's "Her fine ear for Canadian dialogue, her observations on Canadian society and her attunement to the Canadian sense of humour place Gallant firmly among the finest English Canadian writers. What Is To Be Done? is a continual delight." ? Patrick O'Neill, Atlantis
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