In the first English translation of Still Alive, the renowned Polish essayist and theater critic Jan Kott recounts his perilous odyssey through the endless political crises of Eastern Europe in the mid-twentieth-century, illuminating not only the fate of a whole generation of intellectuals, but also his main concern: how to make sense of one's own existence "As a portrayal of turbulent times, the book is priceless, in particular because of its extraordinarily vivid depictions of the atmosphere of everyday life under Communism."-Stanislaw Baranczak, Harvard University "An incisive and vivid...

The sixteen essays collected in "The Theater of Essence" define the point of view of one of the most influential theater critics of our time. Jan Kott's subjects extend from Tadeusz Borowski, Ibsen, Ionesco, and Gogol to Bunraku theater in Japan, Yiddish theater in New York, and Grotowski's theater in Poland.

The Bottom Translation represents the first critical attempt at applying the ideas and methods of the great Russian critic, Mikhail Bakhtin, to the works of Shakespeare and other Elizabethans. Professor Kott uncovers the cultural and mythopoetic traditions underlying A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Tempest, Dr. Faustus, and other plays. His method draws him to interpret these works in the light of the carnival and popular tradition as it was set forth by Bakhtin. The Bottom Translation breaks new ground in critical thinking and theatrical vision and is an...

In "The Eating of the Gods "the distinguished Polish critic Jan Kott reexamines Greek tragedy from the modern perspective. As in his earlier acclaimed "Shakespeare Our Contemporary, "Kott provides startling insights and intuitive leaps which link our world to that of the ancient Greeks. The title refers to the "Bacchae "of Euripides, that tragedy of lust, revenge, murder, and "the joy of eating raw flesh" which Kott finds paradigmatic in its violence and bloodshed.

To see through the eyes of essayist and dramaturge Jan Kott is to gain in knowledge not just of the theater but also of human culture. Since his "Shakespeare Our Contemporary" appeared in English in 1964, Kott's work has altered--and strengthened--the way critics and the public approach the theater as a whole. "The Memory of the Body" highlights a number of dramatic personalities and personages: authors and directors Witkiewicz, Brecht, Kantor, Grotoswki, Ingmar Bergman, Wedekind; Tilly Newes on the stage in turn-of-the-century Vienna; the all-too-mortal, two-thirds divine Gilgamesh; and a...

An innovative director and a dazzling classicist bring complementary viewpoints to bear as they delve into the collected works, illuminating the constantly changing nature and philosophic nuances of the various plays. The book's centrepiece consists of insights on such plays as Othello, Romeo and Juliet, Troilus and Cressida and Measure for Measure. They reveal the ideas behind Shakespeare's plays and the process of bringing them alive before an audience, and present no-holds barred discussion on such subjects as The Shakespeare Industry. The Boundaries of Interpretation, Dramaturgy and...