Even though I didn't have a liking for the last three pieces,

the first four are truly remarkable. They are so amazing that they leave a lasting impression, and they are so theatrical that they deserve a full 5 stars.

"True West," "Buried Child," "Curse of the Starving Class," and "The Tooth of Crime" all tell their stories through powerful images and juxtapositions.

These plays are extremely exciting to read, and they are definitely re-readable. They are the type of scripts that are well worth reading before you go to see the actual play.

By reading the script first, you can gain a deeper understanding of the story, the characters, and the themes.

It allows you to appreciate the play on a whole new level when you finally see it performed on stage.

So, if you're a fan of theater or just looking for some great reads, these plays are definitely worth checking out.

Seven Plays, Sam Shepard

In 1984, Dial Press published "Seven Plays" by Sam Shepard, which includes works such as "Buried Child", "Curse of the Starving Class", "The Tooth of Crime", "La Turista", "Tongues", "Savage Love", and "True West". This collection spans 368 pages and has an ISBN of 0-553-34611-3.

Sam Shepard, a brilliant, prolific, and uniquely American playwright, is a major voice in contemporary theatre. He has won the Pulitzer Prize, further solidifying his status.

The first performance date was July 11, 2008.

There are several translations and editions of Shepard's works in Persian. For example, "The Curse of the Starving Class" was translated by Manouchehr Khaksar-Hersini and published in Tehran by Afraz in 2006 (1385 in the Iranian calendar), with 119 pages. The second edition was published in 2013 (1392). The ISBN is 9789647640985, and the subject is American playwrights' plays in the 20th century.

Another work, "The Tooth of Crime", was translated by Amirali Jolai and published in Mashhad by Bootimar in 2016 (1395), with 102 pages and an ISBN of 9786004041621.

"The Curse of the Starving Class" is considered one of Shepard's "family tragedies". In this play, a bitter and comic exploration takes place within the American family. In fact, they are starving for individuality, distinction, and brutality in their own roles. At no level do they accept being part of the starving class. As "Aimee", a daughter in the family, insists that they are different from those who are hungry as a result of their situation and self-definition. They try to attract the attention of others and escape from membership in a particular class or group.

This may be a text from the back cover of a book with this title. A. Sharbiani

Sam Shepard is an incredibly talented playwright!

Among all his plays, "Curse of the Starving Class" is without a doubt my favorite.

This play centers around a dysfunctional family. The father is constantly drunk, the wife is erratic and unreliable, the son is irresponsible, the teenage daughter is ambitious and pretentious, and they even have a sick goat.

Just like most of Shepard's works, "Curse of the Starving Class" delves deeply into the concept of the west and the real achievability of the American dream.

What starts off as a comical and slightly risqué family scene gradually transforms into a poignant and engaging drama.

And let's not forget the completely unexpected ending.

I highly recommend this play to everyone. It is not only very readable but also highly relatable, making it a must-read for anyone interested in exploring the human condition and the complex dynamics within a family.

The Buried Child - it represents your typical dysfunctional American family.

A young girl decides to accompany her fiance home, naively believing that "father knows best."

Little does she know what awaits her in this household.

The family dynamics are a mess, with secrets buried deep and emotions running high.

As she steps into this chaotic environment, she begins to realize that things are not as they seem.

The father, who is supposed to be the pillar of the family, is far from being the wise and reliable figure she imagined.

Instead, he is dealing with his own demons and issues that have been festering for years.

The mother is also a complex character, with her own set of problems and insecurities.

The other family members add to the turmoil, creating a web of dysfunction that is both fascinating and disturbing.

The young girl finds herself caught in the middle of this family drama, forced to confront the reality of her fiance's family and question her own beliefs and expectations.

Will she be able to navigate through this chaos and find a way to salvage the relationship? Only time will tell.

I'm not usually the kind of person who reads books of plays from cover to cover, just like reading a regular book. However, this particular one held some nostalgia for me. In high school, I ended up performing some monologues and scenes from "True West" and "Tooth of Crime" using my acting teacher's copy of this book. So, when I saw the familiar cover in the bookstore, I impulsively decided to read it and reconnect with some old and familiar words.

In my view, this is a book of extremely uneven works. "The Curse of the Starving Class" is a deeply moving portrayal of rural despair, and "The Tooth of Crime" manages to incorporate a bunch of surreal sci-fi elements while maintaining a firm grip through clever dialogue. "True West" is a bit looser, but at least it does a great job of capturing the feel of manic conversation.

But then there's the dark side of Sam Shepard. He's willing to go all over the place without focus as long as he has evocative dialogue. This works out in "Tooth of Crime" because it's inherent in the setting's concept, but otherwise, it leads to a lot of scattered and feverish dreams that cry out for more substance. "La Turista" in particular is damn near unreadable. You almost wonder if he rode the high of some early success and then decided he was too important to make sense, or something like that.

I don't think "Seven Plays" is entirely worth reading cover to cover as a book, but then again, that's not the most severe condemnation because I don't say that about most plays. If you're looking for good monologues or scenes, I would recommend picking this up. "The Curse of the Starving Class", "True West", and "Tooth of Crime" all have some parts that are worth acting. In my opinion, it doesn't quite measure up as a book, and I kind of doubt whether the last three entries in the book are quite there as plays either.

Ah, Sam Shepard.

He was once merely my childhood crush, but then I made the wonderful discovery that he is an amazing writer as well.

Some of my absolute favorite plays are by him, and I've had the privilege of seeing several of them performed on stage, which were among my most cherished theater experiences.

And let's be honest, it doesn't hurt at all that he looks so incredibly sexy and brooding on the cover.

His plays have a unique charm and depth that draw me in every time.

Whether it's the complex characters, the intense emotions, or the thought-provoking storylines, Shepard's work never fails to leave a lasting impression.

I can't wait to explore more of his plays and continue to be inspired by his talent.

The wonderful starving class of Sam Shepard is another of the tragedies of this writer's family. The starvation named in the book is not physical starvation but spiritual starvation, the starvation of identity.

The play consists of three acts in the kitchen of a house. Like the writer's work "The God of Hell", the family lives in a rural house in Texas and one of the family members (here, Wesley) dreams of rooting and growing in this soil, manure and farming.

The play begins with the mother and children in the first act and in the last act, finally the family moves to the brink of ruin and loses all of its being. Weston (the father) and Alma (the daughter) each flee separately to Mexico. The father's rebirth in the third act (changing clothes) and Wesley (the son) putting on the clothes is the climax of the play.

I truly wanted to have a liking for this work. However, I found myself completely unable to develop any sort of emotional connection with the characters. Instead, I was only left with a general sense of unease and malaise.

I'm not entirely certain whether this is a reflection of my current state of mind or if it is indeed the actual tone that these plays convey. Nevertheless, I made the decision to stop reading it. There simply seems to be no point in continuing to read something that I don't enjoy and that isn't going to disclose anything new or unknown to me.

Additionally, I came to the realization that I don't really have a passion for reading plays. As a result, this review is, without a doubt, quite biased. But it is an honest account of my experience and feelings towards this particular piece of literature.

The lamb is back in the kitchen within a fenced enclosure.

Weston is engaged in a conversation with the lamb. "No lamb has had it any better. It's warm and free from drafts, now that I installed the new door. There are no coyotes or eagles around. Should I share something with you about eagles? A true story? Well, once I was out in the fields doing the castrating, which isn't my favorite task. I had about a dozen spring ram lambs to deal with. I had gathered them all up away from the ewes. It was a crisp, bright morning. The air was really thin, and you could see all the way across the pastureland. The frost was still close to the ground. I was working when I felt this shadow cross over me. I could sense it even before I saw it take shape on the ground. It was huge, black, and cold. I looked up, half expecting a buzzard or maybe a red-tailed hawk, but what struck me across the eyes was this giant eagle. Now, I'm a flyer and accustomed to aeronautics, but this one was performing some truly suicidal antics. It was flying really low, as if it was coming in for a landing. I watched it for a while and then turned back to my work. I did a couple more lambs, and the same thing happened. Only this time, it was even lower. I could almost feel its feathers on my back. Then it went up again. I watched it longer this time and figured out its intentions. It was after those testes, those fresh little remnants of manhood. I decided to humor it and threw a few of them on top of the shed roof. I just went back to my work, pretending to be preoccupied. I was waiting for it this time. I was listening intently and watching the ground for any sign of blackness. Nothing happened for about three more lambs. All of a sudden, it came like a thunderclap. Bang! It was down on the shed roof, its talons taking half the tar paper with it, its wings whipping the air, screaming like a bred mare, and then climbing straight back up into the sky again. I started yelling my head off. I don't know how it was coming out of me, but I was standing there with this icy feeling up my backbone, just yelling my fool head off. Cheering for that eagle. I'd never felt like that since my first day I went up in a B-49. Every time I cut a lamb, I'd throw those balls up on the shed roof. And every time it would come down like the Cannonball Express on that roof. And every time I got that feeling."

Sam Shepard will have to engage in a fierce battle with Lanford Wilson for the title of Best American Playwright of the last quarter of the 20th Century.

Regardless of the result, Shepard is in the running due to his remarkable talent for depicting the various levels of obscene psychic cruelty that family members can impose on each other, and presenting it on the stage in a manner that is not only tangible but also captivating and even humorous - without ever lessening our understanding of the horrors being committed.

I have no clue whether Shepard's plays conform to the definition of "tragedy" (and thank goodness I don't have to take a stance on that). However, one thing I am certain of is that whenever I watch, read, or listen to one of his plays, I experience a severe case of almost euphoric Catharsis - which, I assume, is what keeps drawing me back to him time and time again.

2.5 Stars

This rating of 2.5 stars indicates a somewhat mixed experience. On one hand, there are certain aspects that are quite decent. Maybe the product or service has some good features that manage to catch the eye and provide a certain level of functionality. However, on the other hand, there are also notable drawbacks. Perhaps the quality is not quite up to par in some areas, or there are some glitches or inefficiencies that prevent it from being truly outstanding. It's a bit of a middle ground, not quite bad enough to be completely dismissed, but also not good enough to receive a higher rating. It leaves room for improvement and makes one wonder if with a few tweaks and enhancements, it could potentially reach a higher level of satisfaction. Overall, the 2.5 stars serve as a reminder that while there is some promise, there is still work to be done to make it a more remarkable offering.

1981 True West 5*
Austin, Lee, Saul Kimmer, Mom
It is described as "Like a paradise. Kinda place that sorta kills ya inside. Warm yellow lights...." This play seems to offer a complex and perhaps somewhat paradoxical view of a particular setting.

1979 Buried Child (Pulitzer Prize, Obie Award, Tony Award) 5*
Dodge, Halie, Tilden, Bradley, Vince, Shelly, Father Dewis
The line "I thought I saw a face inside his face." adds an element of mystery and psychological depth to the story.

1976 Curse of the Starving Class (Obie Award) 5*
Wesley, Ella, Emma, Taylor, Weston, Ellis, Malcolm, Emerson, Slater
The passionate outburst "That was my chicken and you fucking boiled it! You boiled my chicken! I raised that chicken from the incubator to the grave and you boiled it like it was any old frozen hunk of flesh!" shows the intensity of the characters' emotions and the conflicts within the family.

1974 The Tooth of Crime (Obie Award) 4*
Hoss, Becky Lou, Star-man, Galactic Jack, Referee, Cheyenne, Doc, Crow
This play likely has its own unique charm and narrative, although specific details are not provided in the given information.

1968 La Turista (Obie Award) 3*
Salem, Kent, Boy, Doctor, Son, Doc, Sonny
The characters in this play suggest a certain story or set of circumstances that are waiting to be explored.

1981 Tongues 4*
Percussionist, Speaker
With only a percussionist and a speaker, this play might have a minimalist and perhaps experimental feel.

1981 Savage/Love 3*
The title Savage/Love implies a combination of primal and emotional elements that could make for an interesting and engaging play.