First Published in 1998. 'The Trap' forms part of the Polish Theatre Archive- a series of books edited by Daniel Gerould, Graduate School, City University of New York. The Polish Theatre Archive makes available in English translation major works of Poland's dramatic literature as well as monographs and critical studies -on Polish playwrights, theatre artists and stage history. Although emphasis is placed on the contemporary period, the Polish Theatre Archive also encompasses the nineteenth-century roots of modern theatre practice in Romanticism and Symbolism. The individual plays will contain authoritative introductions that place the works in their historical and theatrical contexts.

"Loosely based on Franz Kafka's diaries and letters, The Trap is an enigmatic work that "sets traps" for literal-minded critics, directors and audiences. Not one of the Czech author's literary works is ever mentioned, nor does the name Kafka once appear. This is hardly the usual life of an artist where titles and names are constantly dropped. . . .brIn fact, Rozewicz is more concerned with Kafka's inmost fears than with the reality of his life. bThe Trap/b dramatizes anxieties and nightmares of the artist Franz, as he himself experiences them in relation to his father, his friend, and his fiancee. And despite his attempts to escape the many threats of confinement - existential, societal, and historical - assailing from all sides, the traps are too cunning for Franz.