Fifteen varied essays discuss the style, language, and vision of Howard Barker, one of Britain's most influential and controversial playwrights. An international range of academics offers illuminating interpretations of his work. Includes analyses of the political, moral, and historical aspects of his writing, its poetry and eroticism, its depiction of the figure of the artist, and Barker's writing in performance.

'Everyone's an abyss. You get dizzy if you look down.' -- Woyzeck Georg Buchner's Woyzeck was left unfinished at the time of its author's death in 1837, but the play is now widely recognised as the first `modern' drama in the history of European theatre. Its fragmentary form and critical socio-political content have had a lasting influence on artists, readers and audiences to this day. The abuse, exploitation, and disenfranchisement that Woyzeck's titular protagonist endures find their mirror in his own murderous outburst. But beyond that, they also echo in the flux and...