Accidental Death of an Anarchist

Description

In its first two years of production in Italy, Dario Fo's notorious Accidental Death of an Anarchist was seen by over half a million people. It has since been performed all over the world, and become a classic of twentieth-century drama. A sharp and hilarious satire on police corruption, it concerns the case of an anarchist railway worker who, in 1969, 'fell' to his death from a police headquarters window. 'I ought to warn you that the author of this sick little play, Dario Fo, has the traditional, irrational hatred of the police common to all narrowminded left-wingers and so I shall, no doubt, be the unwilling butt of endless anti-authoritarian jibes.' (Inspector Bertozzo, Central Italian Police HQ) 'A marvellous concept: a zany political farce.' (Michael Billington) This edition has been adapted by Gavin Richards from Gillian Hanna's translation and features an introduction by Stuart Hood and a preface by Dario Fo.

For over thrity years Dario Fo, oftern in collaboration with his wife Franca Rame, has led the field in political satire in Europe. Outside Italy, Fo's comedies are often adapted to reflect local political conditions, but the essence remains the same. Capitalism, imperialism and corruption within government are typical targets for hilarious, ideologically-inspired attacks on the establishment. Drawing on all forms of popular theatre, Fo's international reputation as an actor, mime and director equals that of his writing. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1997. Stuart Hood (1915-2011) was a Scottish novelist and translator who worked at the BBC as Controller from 1961-1964 before going on to a professorship of Film and Television at the Royal College of Art, School of Film and Television. Among his various books on the broadcasting industry is Questions of Broadcasting, published by Methuen Drama.

"I ought to warn you that the author of this sick little play, Dario Fo, has the traditional, irrational hatred of the police common to all narrowminded left-wingers and so I shall, no doubt, be the unwilling butt of endless anti-authoritarian jibes." --Inspector Bertozzo, Central Italian Police HQ "A marvellous concept: a zany political farce." --Michael Billington