Nowy Teatr Warschau

Elizabeth Costello is much more than a fictional literary character. She is the alter ego of her creator John Maxwell Coetzee: someone who speaks in his name, who endures the criticism and anger of his readers and academic polemicists. She makes her way into his imagination and onto paper, and then uses his voice to speak about philosophy, the environment or social and existential issues.

Costello is also a recurring character in the work of celebrated Polish director Krzysztof Warlikowski, but an entire play has never been devoted to her. In Warlikowski’s new, four-hour play, she takes center stage for the first time.