[1]:51 The books consists of Artaud's collected essays on theatre dating from the early thirties, many of which were published in Nouvelle Revue Française (NRF).
He was 'surprised and amazed' at how the treatment pinpointed 'with precision and remarkable accuracy the deep, debilitating and demoralizing troubles that have afflicted [him] for so long', something he related to 'the "exteriorization" of "latent cruelty" causing the "organic disorder" (OC 4: 33) in plague-victims'.
"[4]:49 Cruelty, was "a violent rigour" and "extreme concentration of stage elements" that would restore to audiences "an impassioned, convulsive concept of life to theatre".
[6]:35 Prior to beginning the translation, Richards had collaborated in a close reading of the text with John Cage and David Tudor at Black Mountain College.
[8] It is still read, and strongly influenced the directing philosophies of such renowned avant-garde and contemporary groups and figures as Peter Brook, The Living Theatre, The Open Theatre[8] and La Mama's Great Jones Repertory Company, most notably in their production of The Trojan Women directed by Andrei Serban and composed by Elizabeth Swados.