Brian Friel (b. 1929) is an Irish dramatist, theatre director and author. Friel began writing short stories for The New Yorker in 1959 and subsequently published two well-received collections: The Saucer of Larks (1962) and The Gold in the Sea (1966). He has written several plays including: “Philadelphia Here I Come!” (1964), “The Loves of Cass McGuire” (1966), “Lovers “(1967), “The Freedom of the City” (1973), “Aristocrats” (1979), “Molly Sweeney” (1994), “Give Me Your Answer Do!” (1997), "The Bear" (2002),"The Yalta Game" (2001), and "Afterplay" (2002).