Franz Kafka's classic 1915 novella tells the story of traveling salesman Gregor Samsa, who wakes one morning to find himself transformed into some sort of monstrous insect. In her new translation, Susan Bernofsky strives to capture both the humor and the humanity in this macabre tale, underscoring the ways in which Samsa's grotesque metamorphosis is just the physical manifestation of his longstanding spiritual impoverishment.

The King of France gives Helena the hand of any man she wants in marriage, but the one she chooses, Bertram, flees to Tuscany, and she must use her wits to get him back; this text includes background on the play's sources and stage history, as well as a textual analysis.

<p><i>Shakespeare, Our Contemporary</i> is a provocative, original study of the major plays of Shakespeare. More than that, it is one of the few critical works to have strongly influenced theatrical productions.</p><p>Peter Brook and Charles Marowitz are among the many directors who have acknowledged their debt to Jan Kott, finding in his analogies between Shakespearean situations and those in modern life and drama the...