War with the Newts

The visionary Czech writer Karel Capek (1890-1938), one of the century’s great authors, first gained fame during the 1920s and 1930s when his short stories, novels, satires, journalism, children’s books, and plays made him the most important writer in his native country.

‘War With the Newts’, one of the great dystopian satires of the century, is about the discovery by a Dutch sea-captain of a race of giant, intelligent, talking, and walking newts. When humans begin to exploit the newts as slaves, the creatures organize to fight the oppression, taking up arms and challenging the humans for control of newt destiny and freedom.