Memory of Body

Kott, an emigre professor and Shakespeare scholar who came to the United States from Poland in 1966, regards the subjects of his essays from an atypical perspective of an outsider but also of an intellectual who carefully perceives and addresses the most significant questions. The first title is largely anecdotal and the second a scholarly treatment of Shakespeare with an emphasis on gender studies. In this latter work, Kott cites specific productions of Shakespeare's plays that serve to illuminate the text, including a splendid discussion on the various manifestations of the ghost of Hamlet's father. The common thread running through both volumes is the linkage between life, death, sex, and theater. Recommended for libraries that collect drama, East European studies, gender studies, or Shakespeare.