David Auburn Collected Plays: Proof; The Columnist; Lost Lake; The New York Idea; Summer, 1976 (Methuen Drama Play Collections) Paperback – May 14, 2026

"The strength of David Auburn's plays lies in part in the fact that his characters are ambiguous, their fates not assured, not least because they are unclear about themselves. They are frequently capable of denial, unsure of who they are or how they relate to those around them." Chris BigsbyPulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning author David Auburn is an American dramatist who never fails to write astute and compelling dramas that grapple with large questions. In this collection of his work spanning 23 years his celebrated plays are anthologised together for the first time, showing him to be one of the most important contemporary dramatists of his generation. From the Pulitzer Prize-winning Proof (2000) to his latest Broadway smash-hit Summer 1976, published for the first time, this collected works offers a comprehensive overview to Auburn's work for Broadway and beyond. Proof: "An exhilarating and assured new play that turns the esoteric world of higher mathematics literally into a back porch drama, one that is as accessible and compelling as a detective story." New York TimesThe Columnist: "Vital, present and telling ... a trip back to an era when Washington was a small town and everybody kept everybody's secrets. Until they didn't." Chicago TribuneLost Lake: "A melancholy portrait of two strangers reaching for a tentative connection across the divide of their damaged lives." Hollywood ReporterThe New York Idea: "A brisk, streamlined treatment of this classic American play, which caused a sensation in its day." VarietySummer, 1976: "A story of profound connection and awakening disquiet... It's sharply observant, too, and subtly, insistently feminist." New York Times Read more