The house of Bernardo Alba

Drama Classics: The World's Great Plays at a Great Little Price

Lorca's extraordinarily powerful drama, the last he wrote before his assassination, explores the darkness at the heart of repression.

When Bernarda’s husband dies, she locks all the doors and windows. She tells her grown-up daughters to sew and be silent. ‘There are eight years of mourning ahead of us. While it lasts not even the wind will get into this house.’ But locks can’t hold back the growing tide of desire.

This edition, translated and introduced by Jo Clifford, also contains a chronology and suggestions for further reading.