First Published in 2000. The Simpleton, which was written in 1968 and could not be performed for political reasons, saw the light of day only in 1994. Its complex games of power and identity, played out among a group of actors, remain entirely contemporary today. Set in a theatre, The Simpleton, in the age-old tradition of Russian drama, tackles the timeless problems of personal freedom and inner independence. It is anything but a simple play with its complicated chameleon-like nature new levels of reality continually moving in to push their predecessors out of the way. The mystification begins at the outset with the future arsonist, the Fop, prowling through the gall grumbling about the presence of spectators... The Simpleton is unlike anything else that was being written in the Soviet Union at the time and aside from its searing thematic content, it is astonishingly inventive in its theatricality.

Simplex starts out in life as innocent as any child - even more so. But then the soldiers came. And Simplex takes his first stumbling step out into the wide world. He is pressed into service as a court jester and carried off by the Croats. He fights in the war, now on this side, now on that. As a fancy-free lighthearted gallant, he slips into a pretty girl's boudoir only to be escorted from it the same night as a trapped and heavyhearted husband. He acquires great wealth by robbery and sinks into poverty out of magnanimity.

This acclaimed volume is the first to provide a comprehensive overview of Jerzy Grotowski's long and multi-faceted career. It is essential reading for anyone interested in Grotowski's life and work. Edited by the two leading experts on Grotowski, the sourcebook features: *essays from the key performance theorists who worked with Grotowski, including Eugenio Barba, Peter Brook, Jan Kott, Eric Bentley, Harold Clurman, and Charles Marowitz *writings which trace every phase of Grotowski's career from his 'theatre of production' to 'objective drama' and 'art as vehicle' *a wide-ranging collection of Grotowski's own writings, plus an interview with his closest collaborator and 'heir', Thomas Richards *an array of photographs documenting Grotowski and his followers in action *a historical-critical study of Grotowski by Richard Schechner.