Book, Land of Ashes and Diamonds, A[LS]

The Land of Ashes and Diamonds', by Eugenio Barba, which Perspectiva publishes in its Studies collection, is more than a testimony of the relationship between two notable figures on the contemporary scene. In fact, it tells not only a chapter in the underground history of theater, but also a story of passion for theater. 'You wrote saying that you would like to see the concrete results of your work. Well, allow me to tell you: concrete results are never seen. Concrete results (especially in a fleeting art like theater) are born and die in the blink of an eye, and I think it is wrong to attach ourselves to them. [...] [The truth we have is only from] what we have experienced, thus (in the theater), from what we know and can be verified in our own organism, in our own individuality, concrete and everyday'. [J. Grotovsky] 'I would like to talk about a central moment in the recent history of theater as if it were the story of nameless young men. I wanted to present it as it was in those years: an underground story - like that of moles, who dig their tunnels underground. Fanatics dazzled by a mirage? Was it general recognition and celebrity that turned this mirage into a diamond?'