The End of Ends

‘In the great tradition of Sterne, Calvino, Kundera and Cervantes – the tradition of dancing playfully on the edge of the abyss of all knowledge – this book by the late great Polish theatre director Tadeusz Bradecki is about nothing less than everything …  Anyone miserable at being marooned on this island of cynical banter and self-protective irony should read The End of Ends to be reminded of what it sounds like when art is taken seriously.’ – Francis Spufford

‘We can see this in his book both an original form and a ground-breaking freshness of thought.’ – Krzysztof Zanussi

‘It combines the heights of critical theory with the ageless and incoherent impulse that sends us ordinary folk to theatres for solace, affirmation and enlightenment. The End of Ends is the playbook, the guide, the user’s manual on how the pilgrim soul should relate to the arts.’ – Thomas Keneally

‘What begins as a series of witty and fiendishly astute essays exploring the roots and interconnectedness of story (with side-alleys into everything from philosophy, the stage; Cervantes and sci-fi) segues into an extraordinary example of “practice what you preach”. He brilliantly and playfully weaves into this non-fictional narrative, a time-bending and beautiful love story, which reflects and perfectly complements what has come before. Bravo.’ – Sarah Lotz

‘It’s a Russian doll of wit, insight, charm, erudition and storytelling itself – and is exactly the kind of thing every creative writing student should read.’ – Danny O’Connor
‘Bradecki’s whistle-stop tour through two thousand years of dramatic literature is breathtaking. But even more moving is the infectious relish with which he shares his love of his subject.’ – Declan Donellan