In the Solitude of Cotton Fields

A new translation of this classic play by the greatest French playwright of the 80s

Two men pass on the street. “Tell me what you want and I’ll get you it” asks one. “Tell me what you’ve got and I’ll tell you what I want” replies the other. What follows is a thrilling cat-and-mouse game of desire and rejection, power and humiliation as the two men negotiate a deal that will never be struck. Koltès’s mesmerising play for two actors premiered in France in 1987 and was immediately hailed as a contemporary masterpiece, playing successfully throughout Europe. Koltès’s plays have been phenomenally successful, not just in Europe but worldwide. They present a vision of the harsh realities of late twentieth-century life, influenced by Genet and Fugard, combined with a formal approach to dramatic dialogue in the French classical tradition.

The play is published to coincide with the première of this new translation at Aldwych Tube station London and touring throughout the UK (including the The Other Place, Stratford) directed by League of Gentlemen’s co-creator Gordon Anderson.Published to tie in with the new production by ATC directed by League of Gentleman co-creator Gordon Anderson. Koltès was “a creator of a mythology of the underworld, a champion of the underdog and the lone wolf, and a pioneer of a wholly new style of dramatic writing” The Times

Koltès is “a classic of our time, who, since 1990, is the French author most performed abroad” Le Monde.