generally considered Sweden's greatest playwright since August Strindberg, has written over 75 plays. While they are regularly per­formed in Nordic and European countries and have been translated into sev­eral languages, English-language readers were deprived of his major works until 2013, when Chaucer Press Books published and , followed by and then by . This volume pre­sents two of Norén's most recent major plays in English that are thematically related, written after the financial collapse of 2008: is about what happened to the working class after the collapse, especially how its members--composed of many immigrants hit by layoffs and uncertainty--did their best to live through their often life-threat­ening situation. is about a middle class neighborhood in a big city whose citizens--fraught with angst, illness and psychological problems after the financial collapse--both depend upon and avoid each other. In both plays horrific, pointless crimes are committed that seemingly reflect the "disconnect" between people and governmental bu­reaucracies attempting desperately, but in vain, to be helpful and caring. What really stands out about these plays, however, is how they capture the charac­ters' humanity and the essence of their everyday lives, for better or worse. Marita Lindholm Gochman was born in Sweden and came to America in 1964, where she has had a rich theatrical career. In 1985 she translated her first Norén play into English, , and has since translated 25 of his plays--making her Norén's foremost English language translator. Since 1987 Ms. Gochman, who lives in Manhattan, NY, has served as a board member of Circle in the Square, The Inter­national Theatre Insti­tute, and The Signature Theatre. --