One of the best books I’ve read so far this year. Philip Gefter contextualizes Edward Albee’s play and Mike Nichols’s movie with midcentury art, literature, and culture, but most particularly with trends in marriage and women’s “problem with no name.” He teases out the complexity of the play and particularly Uta Hagen’s and Elizabeth Taylor’s interpretation of Martha and her “discontent.” How did Edward Albee, a young gay playwright, bring such depth and understanding to the complexity of the marriage between a washed-up history professor and a wife whose entire being is wrapped up in his failures? Gefter suggests that Albee’s keen observations of his own adoptive family and the bohemians around him created the extraordinary foundation for actors, directors, audiences to think through their own experiences. Even Mike Nichols’ egotism, low expectations of Liz Taylor, and Richard Burton’s insecurities could not damage the play. It is still a stunning movie to watch, with George and Martha’s tortured games as depicted in Haskell Wexler’s rich black-and-white film, and Gefter’s book provides the insights that make it even richer.