Collected Stories (play)

Collected Stories is a two-character play by American playwright Donald Margulies, first produced in 1996. The play explores the complex and shifting power dynamics between Ruth Steiner, a successful short story writer and professor, and Lisa Morrison, a bright and ambitious graduate student who becomes Ruth's protégée.

The play spans several years, chronicling the evolution of their relationship from mentor and student to something more akin to rivals. A central conflict arises when Lisa writes a novel heavily inspired by a painful episode in Ruth's past, specifically an affair Ruth had with the poet Delmore Schwartz. This appropriation of Ruth's personal history exposes issues of authorship, ownership of stories, the ethics of fiction, and the complicated nature of artistic inspiration.

Collected Stories is structured as a series of scenes, often depicting conversations between Ruth and Lisa in Ruth's Greenwich Village apartment. The dialogue is naturalistic and sharply observed, delving into the characters' vulnerabilities, ambitions, and justifications for their actions. The play raises questions about the responsibilities that writers have to their subjects and the potential for betrayal within creative partnerships. The title itself is evocative, referencing the body of work of a writer and hinting at the personal "stories" that individuals accumulate and share (or withhold) throughout their lives.