Barricade

Barricade is a political play that stages the Nazi takeover of Germany in 1933 while keeping India in view. Utpal Dutt is recognised as a trailblazer of Indian theatre after Independence, yet English readers have had little access to the range and richness of his drama. This translation helps to change that.

The play speaks to the present as well. With far-right parties and fundamentalist fanaticism gaining power around the world, the capture of democracy and civil society that paved the way for Nazi fascism could happen again, or in some places already has. That gives the play its urgency.

The edition includes an introduction that analyses the historical context. It is also unusual in dramatic literature because it brings together the printed original text and a documented performance of the production that Dutt himself directed.