For all the fierce aggression of his theatre, American dramatist David Mamet has already indicated through his essays and first novel, The Village (1994), that he is capable of several changes of mood and tone. Based on the true story of Leo Frank, a Jewish factory owner in Georgia, who in 1914 was wrongfully accused of the rape and murder of a white Southern girl, this thoughtful, almost dreamlike narrative is both lyrical and stark. Frank's experience is a variation of the familiar one which usually features a black man. Mamet's intention is to highlight the marginalised position of the American Jew. As he waits in prison, Frank reviews his life with a rare clarity. He dies brutally, lynched and mutilated by a mob. The horror of the story is beautifully countered by the unusual grace of Mamet's prose.
