On April 19, 1947, Dürrenmatt's first play "Es steht geschrieben" premiered at the Zurich Schauspielhaus. The premiere was tumultuous, with the audience booing so loudly that the police had to intervene. The author, then 26, subsequently established himself as a playwright with a million-strong audience and worldwide fame. "Romulus der Grosse," "Der Besuch der alten Dame," and "Die Physiker" remain among the most performed plays on German stages, are part of school curricula, and are universally recognized modern myths. Dürrenmatt is deceased, but his work is very much alive. This volume includes all of his plays, excluding radio plays and theatrical adaptations.