Before Daybreak, the first important drama of German naturalism, was also the first play of Gerhart Hauptmann, the most significant naturalist of the theater. The translation, preceded by a critical introduction which places this play in historical context and discusses its form and content, is the first colloquially convincing English version that captures the several levels of diction in this seminal modern drama.

Originally published in 1978.

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Translated by: Peter Bauland