The Bottom Translation

"[O]riginal and exciting. [Kott's] use of Bakhtin as a mirror for the Renaissance stage results in reading that are both elegant and startling. Most welcome of all is Kott's sense of the living theater amidst the neoplatonism and allusion." —Stephen Orgel

"Jan Kott never ceases to amaze me. His imaginative mind moves in on a play from the most unexpected angles, but he always hits dead center. The essay on Faustus is particularly brilliant. The Bottom Translation is an important addition to this major critic's invaluable work." —Robert W. Corrigan

"Jan Kott is not just another theater critic or historian: he is, in the fullest sense of the term, a man of the theater. His work as a scholar has always been enriched by his experience as a director. His gift has always been to see history in plays, as well as plays in history. His own experience in Eastern Europe gives Kott's readings of Marlowe, Shakespeare, and Webster a rare urgency and originality. This new book throws light not only on Renaissance drama, but on Kott himself; Kott is not only a strong reader, but a powerful writer." —Michael Holquist