Complete Plays, Lenz and Other WritingsGeorg Büchner1993

The plays and prose works written during Georg Büchner's short but turbulent life (1813-37) reveal him to be a writer of startling power and modernity. His dramas centre on heroes of striking individuality - Danton's Death depicts a leader of the French Revolution who becomes a defiant victim of the reign of terror, Leonce and Lena is a comedy in which a world-weary prince attempts to escape an arranged marriage, and Woyzeck portrays a simple soldier who murders his lover while prey to hellish visions. The prose narrative Lenz describes a dramatist's descent into madness, while The Hessian Messenger, a revolutionary pamphlet, is the call to end tyranny and free the oppressed that led to Büchner's exile from Germany. Also included in this volume are selections from his philosophical-scientific writings and his letters.

John Reddick's vibrant translations are accompanied by an introduction in which he discusses the radical and provocative nature of Büchner's works. This edition includes a chronology, notes and background to each work, and a bibliograpy.

Titre original : Complete Plays, Lenz and Other Writings (1993)