Antonin Artaud: A Critical Reader

This resource collects for the first time some of the best criticism on Artaud's life and work from writers such as Jacques Derrida, Julia Kristeva, Maurice Blanchot, Herbert Blau, Leo Bersani and Susan Sontag.

Antonin Artaud was one of the most brilliant artists of the twentieth century. His writing influenced entire generations, from the French post-structuralists to the American beatniks. He was a key figure in the European cinema of the 1920s and '30s, and his drawings and sketches have been displayed in some of the major art galleries of the Western world. Possibly best known for his concept of a 'theatre of cruelty', his legacy has been to re-define the possibilities of live performance.

Containing some of the most intellectually adventurous and emotionally passionate writings on Artaud, this book is essential reading for Artaud scholars working in arts disciplines including theatre, film, philosophy, literature and fine art.

Edward Scheer is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Theatre, Film and Dance at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. He is the editor of 100 Years of Cruelty: Essays on Artaud (2000) and is Secretary of the Board of Directors of The Performance Space in Sydney, Australia.