The Kingdom [Paperback]

I was never part of any gang that killed a man

Three Irishmen. Digging. Telling tales to put down the day. But as they dig down, long buried secrets begin to emerge and the story they tell is as dark as the earth itself. Its a tale full of rich and striking characters which vividly captures life as an Irish navvy in the last century - a world of immigration, violence, sex, triumph and, ultimately, tragedy.

Rooted in the dramas of ancient Greece, The Kingdom, the latest play by acclaimed playwright Colin Teevan is both haunting and lyrical.

Colin Teevan is a celebrated playwright, translator and writer for screen. His work has been produced by many leading theatres including the National, the Young Vic, the Soho Theatre and the National Theatre of Scotland. Colin's 2009 play,The Lion of Kabul, was produced as part of the Tricycle Theatre's Great Game festival on Afghanistan and was hailed as 'an inspirational highlight of the year' byThe Independent. In the same year, he adapted Franz Kafka'sReport to An Academyfor the Young Vic, where it appeared as the critically-acclaimed play,Kafka's Monkey.

[A] lyrical and elliptical reworking of the Oedipus myth for Irish navvies in England Evening Standard

Powerful Metro (London)

Written with a sinewy, musical eloquence - a play that movingly presents Irishness as the state of being nowhere at home Independent

The writing is often rich and peaty as it details the hard lives of men who make a living by breaking rocks Guardian