Theatre of the Absurd

"The Theatre of the Absurd" or "Le Théâtre de l'Absurde" is a phrase used in reference to particular plays written by a number of primarily European playwrights in the late 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, as well as to the style of theatre which has evolved from their work. The term was coined by the critic Martin Esslin, who made it the title of a 1962 book on the subject. Esslin saw the work of these playwrights as giving artistic articulation to Albert Camus' philosophy that life is inherently without meaning, as illustrated in his work The Myth of Sisyphus.

Further reading

• Martin Esslin, The Theatre of the Absurd (Eyre & Spottiswoode, 1962)
• Martin Esslin, Absurd Drama (Penguin, 1965)