Albee, Edward
Monarch Notes
01-01-1963
The Zoo Story
It is unknown what specific events may have brought about the abrupt end
of a decade of writing what Albee has termed "mediocre" verse and the sudden
beginning of a brilliant career as playwright; however, in 1958 Albee wrote
The Zoo Story in three weeks' time. According to Albee's vague account, the
writing of the play came at the end of a long period of depression during
which he had given up his job as a Western Union messenger. No doubt this
confrontation with self crystallized his years of preparation spent in
reading, writing, and talking with artists in Greenwich Village coffee houses.
The Zoo Story, a one-act play, was first ...