Arden, John

Arden, John (är`dən), 1930–, English playwright and novelist. In a manner reminiscent of Brecht, Arden's dramas employ songs, poetry, and visceral realism to make sharp, political points. His plays include Sergeant Musgrave's Dance (1959), The Island of the Mighty (1972), The Little Grey Home in the West (1978), and a veiled attack on the British occupation of Northern Ireland, Vandaleur's Folly (1981). He has also written two novels and a book of essays, To Present the Pretense (1978).

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Arden, John

(born Oct. 26, 1930, Barnsley, Yorkshire, Eng.) British playwright. He studied architecture at Cambridge and the Edinburgh College of Art. His plays mix poetry and songs with colloquial speech in a boldly theatrical manner and involve strong conflicts purposely left unresolved. Arden's works include All Fall Down (1955), Serjeant Musgrave's Dance (1959), The Workhouse Donkey (1963), Vandaleur's Folly (1978), and the radio series Whose Is the Kingdom? (1988).