Although written in 1968, The Simpleton was not performed until 1994. Its complex games of power and identity, played out among a group of actors, are of universal and topical relevance.' 'Set in a theatre, The Simpleton, tackles the timeless problems of personal freedom and inner independence. The play is unlike anything else that was being written in the Soviet Union at the time and, aside from its searing thematic content, it is astonishingly inventive in its theatricality.' 'This brand new translation by series editor and leading authority on Russian theater, John Freedman, will be of interest to students, actors, directors, writers, critics.