Others say...

"Eminently Clear and Immediately Memorable"
I've easily read more than 100 books on creating fiction (my focus is primarily short stories and novels), and I've done so because I'm always interested in learning what others have to say about the craft that I might find ways to improve my own.

I disagree with the reviewer who pishaws Egri's recommendation to create character biographies, saying that the "audience will never see them". The fact is, every short story, novel, play, movie is like an iceberg: what the audience reads/sees is only 10% of the whole. The rest is hidden. If a writer hasn't done her homework on a story's setting, background or, more importantly, on her characters' backgrounds, it will show, and in the worst way possible. Even if a writer is of the sort who develops her characters as she creates the story, there is still much about those characters which doesn't make it into the tale. It's rather like when you tell a cousin about a friend of yours. You don't give your cousin all the details, only those details which are relevant to giving your cousin an accurate, yet true, representation of your friend, but you can only accomplish this if you know your friend very well. The same is -- HAS TO BE! -- true of your story characters: you MUST know them very well (more than what you reveal) if you are to represent them to your audience accurately and truthfully (but not exhaustively), and that's precisely Egri's point.

Regarding Egri and his agreements/disagreements with Aristotle, his disagreement with regard to a story's beginning has more to do with modern readers' interpretations of what constitutes a beginning. Every story must have a beginning, even if it doesn't appear on the page, on the screen, or on the stage. All the consituent parts of a story, even if they aren't put plainly before the audience, must be implied in what is. (Algis Budrys' WRITING TO THE POINT demonstrates this quite well.) Egri's disagreement with regard to Aristotle's views on plot/character, however, are, I believe, on the mark. In this case, however, the disagreement has more to do with historical/cultural/religious context. Aristotle's putting plot primary is due largely to the prevalent beliefs of his time, just as our putting character primary is due to the prevalent beliefs of ours. This, too, is a point which Egri recognizes.

After reading Egri's book, my writing will never be the same again, I'll never read another novel or short story the same way again, and I'll never see a movie or play in the same way again, either. I dare say that I'll appreciate a good novel/short story/movie/play even more with the tools that Egri provides in this book, and will now be able to elucidate far more clearly than before why I didn't like a particular novel/short story/movie/play. In like manner, I now believe that I'm better equipped, after reading Egri's book, to recognize what is wrong with any story that I've written and will, therefore, be better able to fix the problem.

After reading all the books I've read on story/character creation, I'd have to say that Egri's book is easily the best book I've ever read on the subject. While other authors of such books may have said much the same thing, Egri presents the same material in a way that makes it eminently clear and immediately memorable.

POSTSCRIPT: In defense of novels (since that is my preferred medium), unlike what was stated in one review on Egri's book, pacing is just as important in a novel as it is in a stage play. If you have one high-paced scene after another in a novel, your reader will be breathless before she's half-done with the book. Conversely, if your pacing is constantly slow, you're very likely to lose reader interest. There are all sorts of tricks to controlling pacing in a novel, from word, sentence, and paragraph length, and even down to specific word choice. There are other ways to control pacing, as well, but I shan't get into that here. It's a shame that very few books have covered this aspect of novel creation.

"This Should Be Required Reading For All Playwrights"
This is a no-nonsense book which emphasizes how important it is for a playwright to focus on what he wants to say.
If his theme can't be articulated in one sentence, then it most likely will not be a well thought out, clearly conceived story.

"An excellent guide for any writer"
The book is beautifully written in a style that makes you feel that the author wants you to succeed. Many books on writing seem more concerned with why the author himself/herself believes he/she is a great writer. This book is an actual guide for writing. Lajos Egri has a love for building memorable characters and through the use of examples and Q/A sessions, he teaches the craft. If you want to write, this book is a must.

"A School In A Book For Writers"
I'd recommend that writers read this book and take notes and/or mark it up with a highlighter. Nuggets and chunks of information are scattered throughout.

The main problem is one that lies in "Poetics," by Aristotle, as well. Both books were written so long ago, that they reference extremely outdated material and, at times, use long passages from these old plays. The result is a struggle and a chore for the reader to get through what is mostly boring, unusable, and unhelpful dialogue and scenes for screenwriters and novelists of today.

The techniques and theory behind what Mr. Egri preaches is on point and pretty sound, though I find it ironic that most people consider this book and "Poetics" to be two books that all writers should read, yet Lajos Egri disagrees with Aristotle on may points. Interesting. Very interesting.

Writing, as in any creative art, has many teachers. No one is 100% correct. You can learn something from anyone, and you probably have something you could teach to other artists too. Pick out the best from this, and other books, and use the information to write something brilliant. "That Art Of Dramatic Writing" can definitely help you do that.

"The Art of Dramatic Writing by Lajos Egri"
This work offers some very good insight into preparing the dramatic work and is a must read for the serious student and learned writer.

The flaw that this work has is its organization (or lack thereof) in not providing a systematic break-down (bulleted perhaps) of the key concepts, aspects, and issues while providing necessary but longwinded examples intermixed with the former. However, once disected, the material is invaluable.