Books by Nikolai Erdman

I used to work in PR, if you''re going to kill yourself let''s make it an event . . . You can own this, Sam. For the first time in your life you. Could be. In charge. Things are getting tough for Sam. No job, benefits stopped and stuck in a tiny flat with his girlfriend Maya and her mum. The pressure is building. It feels like there might be only one way out.But every ending is a beginning and there are plenty of people keen to capitalise on Sam''s momentous decision. From corrupt local politicians to kids trying to raise the number of views of their online videos, everyone wants a piece of Sam''s demise. It scarcely matters what Sam actually wants. Faced with the promise of immortality, what''s his life worth?Suhayla El-Bushra takes the satiric masterpiece by Nikolai Erdman and smashes it into contemporary urban Britain. It''s provocative, fast-paced and very funny.

This volume contains the text of both "The Suicide" and Erdman's first major albeit less known work, "The Warrant". The historical context of the plays and Erdman's use of language are discussed.

A collection of Erdman's short plays which contains the transcript of a discussion on "The Suicide" at the Vakhtangov Theatre in 1930 and the surviving fragments of "The Hypnotist".