Catherine the Great (1729-1796) wrote over two dozen plays and operettas, but not until this edition has a complete translation of any of them been available to an English- speaking readership.
Oh, These Times (1772) is a satirical attack on many vices Catherine wished to root out from her society: religious hypocrisy, superstition and slander. The main character, Mrs. Pious, is a superficially religious old woman who resembles Moliere's Tartuffe.
Catherine again sets her sights on superstition in The Siberian Shaman (1786), this time by satirizing shamanism as a deceitful profession which preys on the gullible. This play was part of a group of three plays usually known as Catherine's "anti-masonic" trilogy, written as a warning against the growing influence of the freemasons.
In a comprehensive introduction, Lurana Donnels O'Malley relates the plays to Catherine's status and philosophy.

Table of Contents:

Introduction to the Series, Acknowledgements, Introduction, Oh, These Times!, The Siberian Shaman

Arts in general

Theatre

History of literature

Drama

Other branches of performing arts

Dramas in English

Arts in general (charity campaign)

Theatre (charity campaign)

History of literature (charity campaign)

Drama (charity campaign)

Other branches of performing arts (charity campaign)

Dramas in English (charity campaign)

Two Comedies by Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia

Catherine the Great wrote over two dozen plays and operettas. This work covers Oh, These Times (1772), a satirical attack on many vices Catherine wished to root out from her society, and The Siberian Shaman (1786) focussing on superstition.