The Government Inspector: Full Text and Introduction (NHB Drama Classics)

Drama Classics series

The world's great plays at a great little price.

Each pocket-sized volume contains:

a full introduction
an author biography notes on historical and theatrical context
a plot synopsis key dates
a further reading list a glossary of unusual words and phrases (English-language texts)

The Government Inspector is a classic satire of provincial bureaucracy, which only saw the stage after the personal intervention of Tsar Nicholas I.

A small, corrupt Russian town receives a letter informing them of the imminent visit of a government inspector travelling incognito. When a passing civil servant is mistaken for the inspector, panic soon sets in.

Translated and introduced by Stephen Mulrine.