Karel Capek

War with the Newts

The Czechish writer Karel Capek first become known to a greater public after his play R.U.R. in which the concept 'robot' was introduced for the first time. The satiric novel War with the Newts(1936) which ridicules Nazi-Germany and fascism in general also conveys Capeks ideas that technology can become a threat to mankind and that unabashed capitalism also poses a serious danger.
The story is about a new kind of salamanders found in southeast Asia. At first the salamanders are exploited for profit, but mankind loses control over the incredibly fast-breeding creatures....