Capek Four Plays
by Karel Capek

"There was no writer like him.

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prophetic assurance mixed with surrealistic humour and hard-edged social satire: a unique combination" (Arthur Miller)

This volume brings together fresh new translations of four of his most popular plays, more than ever relevant today.

In R. U. R., the Robot - an idea Çapek was the first to invent - gradually takes over all aspects of human existence except procreation; The Insect Play is a satirical fable in which beetles, butterflies and ants give dramatic form to different philosophies of life; The Makropulos Case is a fantasy about human mortality, finally celebrating the average lifespan; The White Plague is a savage and anguished satire against fascist dictatorship and the virus of inhumanity.