Three Uses of the Knife

Three Uses of the Knife
Author(s)	David Mamet
Country	United States
Series	The Columbia Lectures on American Culture
Subject(s)	Drama
Publisher	Columbia University Press
Publication date	February 1998
Pages	96 (first edition, clothbound)
ISBN	ISBN 023111088X
OCLC Number	37115843
Dewey Decimal	808.2 21
LC Classification	PN1631 .M26 1998

Three Uses of the Knife: On the Nature and Purpose of Drama is a book by David Mamet that discusses playwriting. In it, Mamet discusses the conscious and unconscious processes that go on in developing a work of art.

The book's title stems from a quote from musician Leadbelly, appearing on page 66:

Huddie Ledbetter, also known as Leadbelly, said: You take a knife, you use it to cut the bread, so you'll have strength to work; you use it to shave, so you'll look nice for your lover; on discovering her with another, you use it to cut out her lying heart.

Another more significant quote from the book: "The subject of drama is The Lie. At the end of the drama THE TRUTH -- which has been overlooked, disregarded, scorned, and denied -- prevails. And that is how we know the Drama is done."[1]