Italian literature in Reclam's red series: this is the Italian original text - with word explanations at the bottom of each page, an afterword, and literary references. Pirandello's play "Six Characters in Search of an Author," which caused a stir at its premiere in 1921 in Rome, is a milestone of modern theater. Six characters burst into a theater rehearsal and report that their author has lost interest in them and has not finished writing their lives. They demand that the theater director and his actors perform their lives. The appeal of this play lies in the blending of reality and fiction; the audience is denied the classic theater evening, and the play becomes a play about a failing play. This is radically modern and offers numerous perspectives for treatment in Italian language classes. Italian reading.