Mr Price, Or Tropical Madness and Metaphysics of a Two-headed Calf by (cid:1) Stanislaw Ignacy Witkiewicz Routledge Harwood Polish and East European Theatre Archive Aseries of books edited by Daniel Gerould, Graduate School, City University of New York, USA Volume 1 To Steal a March on God Hanna Krall Translated and with an introduction by Jadwiga Kosicka Volume 2 Alternative Theatre in Poland 1954–1989 Kathleen Cioffi Volume 3 Country House Stanisl⁄aw Ignacy Witkiewicz Translated and with an introduction by Daniel Gerould Volume 4 The Trap . Tadeusz Rózewicz Translated by Adam Czerniawski Volume 5 Polish Romantic Drama Harold B. Segal Volume 6 The Mannequins’ Ball Bruno Jasienski Translated and with an introduction by Daniel Gerould Volume 7 Leading Creators in Twentieth-Century Czech Theatre Jarka Burian Volume 8 Encounters with Tadeusz Kantor Krzysztof Miklaszewski Edited and translated by George Hyde Volume 9 Ireneusz Iredyn´ski: Selected one-act plays for radio Edited by Kevin Windle Please see the back of this book for other titles in the Routledge Harwood Polish and East European Theatre Archive series Mr Price, Or Tropical Madness and Metaphysics of a Two-headed Calf (cid:1) Stanislaw Ignacy Witkiewicz Edited and translated by Daniel Gerould First published 2002 by Routledge 11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P4EE Simultaneously published in the USAand Canada by Routledge 29 West 35th Street, New York, NY10001 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2003. © 2002 Taylor & Francis All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data Acatalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Witkiewicz, Stanisl⁄aw Ignacy, 1885–1939. [Mister Price. English] Mr. Price, or, Tropical madness; and, Metaphysics of a two-headed calf/ by Stanisl⁄aw Ignacy Witkiewicz. p. cm. – (Routledge Harwood Polish and East European Theatre Archive; 12) Translated by Daniel Gerould. 1. Witkiewicz, Stanisl⁄aw Ignacy, 1885–1939 – Translation into English. I. Title: Mr. Price, or, Tropical madness; and, Metaphysics of a two-headed calf. II. Title: Mr. Price. III. Title: Tropical madness. IV. Gerould, Daniel Charles, 1928– V. Witkiewicz, Stanisl⁄aw Ignacy, 1885–1939. Metafizyka dwuglowego cielecia. English. VI. Title: Metaphysics of a two–headed calf. VII Title. VIII. Series. PG7158.W52 M5713 2002 891.8’5272–dc21 2001048575 ISBN 0-203-21863-9 Master e-book ISBN ISBN 0-203-27407-5 (Adobe eReader Format) ISBN 0–415–27506–7(Print Edition) To Paul Berman, American director of Witkacy, for his exemplary productions of Mr. Priceand Metaphysics of a Two-headed Calfand also The Water Hen, Gyubal Wahazar, and The Madman and the Nun Contents Introduction to the Series ix Acknowledgements xi Introduction: Tropical Madness – Witkacy’s Journey to the East 1 Daniel Gerould Mr. Price, or Tropical Madness(1920–1925) 11 by Stanisl(cid:1)aw Ignacy Witkiewicz Translated by Daniel Gerould Witkiewicz’s Foreword to Metaphysics of a Two-Headed Calf(1921) 57 Metaphysics of a Two-Headed Calf(1921) 61 by Stanisl(cid:1)aw Ignacy Witkiewicz Translated by Daniel Gerould Appendix: Witkacy’s Journey to the Tropics and Itinerary in Ceylon 105 Daniel Gerould vii Introduction to the Series The Routledge Harwood Polish and East European Theatre Archive makes available in English translation major works of Poland’s dramatic literature as well as monographs and critical studies on Polish and East European playwrights, theatre artists and stage history. Although emphasis is placed on the contemporary period, the archive also encom- passes the nineteenth-century roots of modern theatre practice in Romanticism and Symbolism. The individual plays will contain author- itative introductions that place the works in their historical and theatrical contexts. Daniel Gerould ix