The celebrated Spanish playwright Fernando Arrabal, who lived in Madrid under the oppression of the Franco regime, writes passionately of human atrocity and of hope. This collection of plays embodies Arrabal's "theatre of panic," named after the god Pan. The homme panique is a man who refuses to take risks, who avoids danger and therefore heroism, who avoids the irreparable act, but who, ironically, is caught up in a world of chance that forces him to make choices. The collection includes Guernica, an earthy verbal re-creation of Picasso's famous painting, in which an old Basque couple is caught in the air raids; And They Put Handcuffs on the Flowers, a violent protest against the Franco regime; the ingenious and poetic The Architect and the Emperor of Assyria; and Garden of Delights, which explores the lesbian tendencies of strong adoles-cent attachments and the sadomasochistic experience of adult love. Includes: 'Guernica' 'And They Put Handcuffs on the Flowers' 'The Architect and the Emperor of Assyria' 'Garden of Delights'
