Gnit - by Will Eno (Paperback)

About the Book

An impish adaptation of Ibsen's dramatic poem by one of contemporary theatre's most original wordsmiths.

Book Synopsis

"The marvel of Mr. Eno's new version is how closely it tracks the original while also being, at every moment and unmistakably, a Will Eno play. After climbing the craggy peaks of Ibsen's daunting play, Mr. Eno has brought down from its dizzying heights a surprising crowd-pleasing (if still strange) work." -- Charles Isherwood, New York Times

"Gnit is classic Will Eno. By that I mean I was thrilled by it." -- Kris Vire, TimeOut Chicago

"If ever a play made me want to be a better person, this is it." -- Bob Fischbach, Omaha World-Herald

Peter Gnit, a funny enough, but so-so specimen of humanity, makes a lifetime of bad decisions on the search for his True Self. This is a rollicking yet cautionary tale about (among other things) how the opposite of love is laziness. Gnit is a faithful, unfaithful and willfully American misreading of Henrik Ibsen's Peer Gynt (a nineteenth-century Norwegian play), written by Will Eno, who has never been to Norway.

Will Eno's most recent plays include The Open House (Signature Theatre, New York, 2014; Obie Award, Lucille Lortel Award for Best Play) and The Realistic Joneses (Yale Repertory Theatre, New Haven, 2012; Broadway, 2014). His play Middletown received the Horton Foote Prize and Thom Pain (based on nothing) was a finalist for the 2005 Pulitzer Prize. Mr. Eno lives Brooklyn.

Review Quotes

"The marvel of Mr. Eno's new version is how closely it tracks the original while also being, at every moment and unmistakably, a Will Eno play. After climbing the craggy peaks of Ibsen's daunting play, Mr. Eno has brought down from its dizzying heights a surprising crowd-pleasing (if still strange) work." -- Charles Isherwood, New York Times

"Gnit is classic Will Eno. By that I mean I was thrilled by it." -- Kris Vire, TimeOut Chicago

"If ever a play made me want to be a better person, this is it." -- Bob Fischbach, Omaha World-Herald

"Gnit is wickedly funny, relentlessly intelligent and very well-executed." - Erin Keane, WFPL

"Gnit is oddly entertaining...the projection of Peter Gnit's existence isn't just funny; it's a reminder that no one can live a life all by himself" - Michelle Rynbrandt, Louisville.com

"This sort of rich and challenging writing is what the Humana Festival has always been about, and Louisville audiences are overdue for an introduction to one of the more important contemporary playwrights in American theatre." -- Keith Waits, Arts-Louisville.com

About the Author

Will Eno's plays include Title and Deed and The Realistic Joneses (both listed in the New York Times's Best Plays of 2012), Middletown (Horton Foote Prize for Promising New American Play), Thom Pain (based on nothing) (Pulitzer Prize finalist) and The Flu Season (Oppenheimer Award). His other awards include the PEN/Laura Pels International Foundation for Theatre Award and the first-ever Marian Seldes/Garson Kanin Fellowship by the Theater Hall of Fame. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.