1930’lu Yıllar Amerikan Tiyatrosunda Toplumsal Eleştiri ve Clifford Odets

Yazin ve sanat urunlerinin, yaratildigi donemde yasanan politik, toplumsal ve ekonomik kosullardan etkilendigi yadsinamaz bir gercektir. Amerika’da, 1930’lu yillarin ekonomik dengesizlikleri, kitlik ve sinif ayirimi gibi ‘Buyuk Bunalim’ (Great Depression) yillarinin olumsuz etkileri, Nazizm ve irk ayirimi gibi sorunlar, II. Dunya Savasi’nin dogum sancilari ve bunlara bagli olarak toplumun deger yargilarinda yasanan radikal degisimler, donemin ozellikle genc kusak yazar, sanatci ve aydinlarini sistemin sorgulanmasi/degismesi yonunde belirli bir politik secenek arayisina yonlendirir. Amerika’da ortaya cikan genc kusak yazarlar sisteme karsi toplumsal elestiri ve yeni bir politik hareket dusuncesinde birlesirler. Bu yazarlar arasinda Clifford Odets’in yapitlari yasadigi donemin politik, tarihsel ve kulturel yapisini en carpici bicimde yansitmaktadir (Bese 143-158). 1935’te yazdigi, Waiting for Lefty, Awake and Sing!, Till the Day I Die, Paradise Lost ve tek perdelik I Can’t Sleep adli ilk oyunlariyla baslayan cikisi, Odets’i bir anda Amerikan tiyatrosunun merkezine tasir. Bu calismanin amaci, doneminin onemli yazari olarak Clifford Odets’in toplumsal elestiri acisindan onemine isaret etmektir. Abstract in English The Social Criticism and Clifford Odets in The 1930s American Theater Literary and art products are influenced by the political, social and economic conditions of the time they were created. The Great Depression of the 1930s in America and its negative effects such as the economic imbalances, famine and class distinction as well as problems such as Nazism and racial discrimination in the eve of the World War II and the resultant decline in the value judgments of the society lead especially young generation writers to search for a radical changes and a new political option in terms of the system. In other words, these young generation writers unite in the idea of social criticism and a new political movement against the system. Among these writers, Clifford Odets' works reflect the political, historical and cultural structure of his time in a most striking way (Bese 143-158). His first plays written in 1935, Waiting for Lefty, Awake and Sing! Till the Day I Die, Paradise Lost and a one act, I Can’t Sleep carry Odets to the center of American theatre. The aim of this study is to point out the importance of Clifford Odets in terms of social criticism.