In a pigsty in a small village, 'somewhere in the author's imagination', lives 'Pavel' who has been in hiding among the pigs since the Second World War. His wife 'Praskovya' told the authorities he had been killed. Ten years have gone by and the local war memorial is about to be unveiled. Should 'Pavel' give himself up? Athol Fugard's play is at first sight a striking departure from the form and themes of his previous work; less so when the resonances and nuances of this 'personal parable' have their effect. The writing of the play was provoked by the true story of Pavel Navrotski, a deserter from the Soviet army in the Second World War, who spent forty-one years in hiding in a pigsty.
