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The Leisure Society

By François Archambault
Translated by Bobby Theodore

Peter and Mary are unhappy. But they don’t know it yet. They work long hours. They invest their money for a retirement they will probably never enjoy. They buy things that are supposed to make them happy but that they never use. They obsess about the nightmare engines of Western economic growth: make more, earn more, have more.

Bringing a child into this frightening world fueled by instant gratification; wanting to have some time and space for themselves so they can continue to grow and develop; or dedicating time to deepen the bonds between their friends; all seem like colossal tasks. Even worse, they seem like acts of resistance—one could even say betrayal—against a system that requires everyone to be active, productive and consuming.

But in this dark and thoroughly contemporary comedy echoing The Wastemakers of the 1950s, is it too late for such unthinkable acts of defiance?

ISBN 13: 9780889225312 | ISBN 10: 889225311
6 W x 9 H inches | 96 pages
$15.95 CAN / $13.95 US
Rights: World
Backlist | Drama | Bisac: DRA013000

About the Contributors

François Archambault secured his reputation as a sharp social satirist with his earlier plays Cul sec (Fast Lane) and Les gagnants (The Winners) and further established his importance on the Quebec theatre scene with the award-winning 15 Seconds, a darkly humorous play about social alienation arising from superficial relationships.

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Bobby Theodore’s first translation, François Archambault’s 15 Seconds, was produced across Canada and earned him a nomination for the Governor General’s Award for Literary Translation in 2000. Since then, he has gone on to translate more than 12 plays, including the works of some of Quebec’s most talented playwrights.

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