The summer issue of Theater examines the plays of the 2004 Nobel laureate Elfriede Jelinek. The Nobel Prize brought long-overdue international recognition to one of Europe's most original and controversial playwright-novelists. Born in Austria in 1946, Jelinek has recently been an outspoken dissenting voice in national and global politics. Despite the acclaim she has won in Europe and the successful film version of her novel "The Piano Teacher", few of her plays have been translated into English, and Jelinek has been overlooked in American course curricula and rarely staged in U.S. theatres. "Elfriede Jelinek and The Princess Plays" includes an article on Jelinek's changing position in the world of letters by Gitta Honegger, a leading Jelinek scholar and translator. Accompanying this major article is Honegger's extended interview with the author; they discuss Jelinek's aesthetic influences and ideas, what it's like to win the Nobel Prize, and its implications for the writer. Also included is the first English-language publication of "The Princess Plays" and three short plays by Jelinek, each centred on an icon of femininity: "Snow White", "Sleeping Beauty", and "Jackie" (Onassis). The issue, which also includes articles on France's "Theatre du Soleil", offers a compelling portrait of Jelinek and a rare introduction to her provocative theatre.