Bond achieved prominence, if not notoriety, with his socially critical plays of the 1960s and 70s. He learnt the craft and art of writing theatre at the Royal Court Theatre, London, under George Devine. There are several early plays which came out of the writers' group based here, which, along with John Arden, John Osborne, Ann Jellicoe and Arnold Wesker, Bond joined in 1960. Among these are The Pope's Wedding (1962) and Saved (1965). When this play was banned by the Lord Chamberlain's office, which had been approving – and censoring – new plays since 1737, the Royal Court theatre was turned into a club. Then, in 1968, the year of Narrow Road to the Deep North (about the Japanese poet, Basho) and Early …
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Citation: Vivis, Anthony. "Edward Bond". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 21 March 2002 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=478, accessed 26 November 2024.]