Plays for the Festivals of the Year

Karl König (1902-66) was well-known as a physician, author and lecturer. He began his work at the Institute of Embryology at the University of Vienna. In 1940 he founded the Camphill Movement in Scotland. Based on Rudolf Steiner's insights into human development, the special education schools for children and villages for adults with special needs are now established in many parts of the world.

• A play for AdventThree plays for ChristmasA four-part Easter play: Maundy Thursday; Good Friday; Holy Saturday; Easter SundayFour plays between Ascension and Pentecost: The Evening in Emmaus; Quo vadis, Domine; The Book of Kells; The Cup of ZarathustraA St John's playA Michaelmas play

'At last we have all of Dr. Konig's Festival Plays in one book! It's taken a long time. So we owe Richard Steele, the Karl Konig Archive and Floris Books a huge debt of gratitude. [...] What a treasure trove of wonders this book is! Each play is set out clearly with all relevant information on what the cast should wear, where they should stand (there was not a lot of movement in the plays: they were more like tableaux of the imagination from a higher dimension) and the meagre props necessary [...] How many people have found their way into Camphill through these plays? As Ruth von Ledebur, who wrote an introduction for the book about Konig's plays in the context of European drama, says: 'His plays were -- and still are -- the most important entry gate for me to his way of thinking and to the spirit of Camphill'. Richard Steele continues that thought by hoping his book will contribute towards opening gateways for many more people and 'strengthen the flow of the spirit for which Konig wanted Camphill to be a vessel'. We can only be grateful to at last have such an invaluable Fountain of Life to nourish and heal us.'-- Russell Pooler (Author of Rosicrucian Soul, Lindisfarne Books)'... for those readers who don't have the possibility to participate in a production of one of these plays, [reading them] can still be a source of nourishment and inspiration. Read them as if they are poetry. Allow each image to resonate in the soul. Connections will be made over time and deeper meanings will be revealed in a quiet pondering of the heart.'-- Anna Phillips, New View