V+ W / HRY OSVOBOZENEHO DIVADLA II: Sever proti Jihu; Golem; Caesar; Kat a blazen. (Two copies, one inscribed and signed by Jan Werich and one Jiri Voskovec's copy, signed and dated by him.) de Voskovec, Jiri; Werich, Jan - 1955-1956.

Praha: Ceskoslovensky spisovatel, 1955-1956., 1955-1956.. Good. JIRI VOSKOVEC'S COPY, SIGNED BY HIM TOGETHER WITH A COPY SIGNED AND INSCRIBED BY JAN WERICH - Octavo, tan cloth titled in gilt on the spines with the decorative initials "VW" stamped in gilt on the front covers. With cream silk bookmarks. The spine of the Werich copy is slightly faded. There are tears to the tail of its spine & the bottom corner of its front cover. The remaining corners of the covers are chipped. There is a small, light stain to the rear cover of the Voskovec copy. 419 pages plus colophon. The pages of the Voskovec copy are darkened & fragile with a small piece out of its half-title. Good. <p>Two copies of Volume 2 of a collection of plays written and performed by avant-garde Czech authors and actors Jiri Voskovec and Jan Werich who together formed the Liberated Theatre [Osvobozene Divadlo]. There is an essay by Josef Trager in the rear of each copy.<p> The copy published in 1955 is a first edition and is inscribed by Werich on the title page to Jiri Voskovec's daughter: "Victoria / Jan / 15 VII 55". The copy published in 1956 is a second edition and is from Jiri Voskovec's library. It is signed and dated by him on the title page: "J. Voskovec / NY 56".<p>Jiri [George] Voskovec was born Jiri Wachsmann [1905-1981]. He was a much revered Czech actor and playwright. After World War 1 Voskovec appeared with Jan Werich [1905-1980] as one of a comic duo in the tradition of Laurel and Hardy. "Together with Jaroslav Jezek, the father of Czech jazz, they moulded dadaism, circus, jazz, Chaplin, Buster Keaton, and American vaudeville into a new art form. They created a new form of intellectual political musical." - [Josef Skvorecky: "All the Bright Young Men and Women"]. Having created a sensation with their "Vest Pocket Revue" in April 1927, V + W were invited to join the Devetsil theatre group in May. In 1929 they renamed the group "Liberated Theatre" ["Osvobozene Divadlo"] and they took over every element of the productions. During the 1930s the productions of V + W became increasingly anti-fascist and their "Liberated Theatre" was eventually forced to close in 1938. The following year they fled to the United States. After World War 2 Voskovec settled permanently in the U.S. and Werich returned to Czechoslovakia. Both actors went on to have long careers in film, Voskovec appearing in 72 movies and Werich in more than 50. Four of their stage works were made into films: "Powder and Gasoline" [1931], "Your Money or Your Life" [1932], "Heave-ho" [1934], and "The World Belongs to Us" [1937]. Voskovec is known for his role as Juror #11 in "12 Angry Men".<p>Rare thus.