This volume contains the full text in English of both "The Suicide" and Nikolai Erdman's first major, albeit less known work, "The Warrant." Although both plays were written in the early 1920s, they were haunted by the political spectre of totalitarianism and it was only in the 1980s that they began to be staged regularly worldwide. The plays themselves, full of political satire and paradox, show the immense skill of this playwright, and the introduction by John Freedman provides valuable insights into the historical context of the plays, highlighting Erdman's unique use of language. These new translations are well illustrated with little-known archival production photographs and drawings of the period.