Seven Expressionist Plays (Calder Collection)

Ritchie, J.M. (Editor) / Kokoschka, Oscar (Primary Contributor) / Stramm, August (Primary Contributor) / Kafka, Franz (Primary Contributor) / Kaiser, Georg (Primary Contributor) / Goll, Ivan (Primary Contributor) / Brust, Alfred (Primary Contributor)

ISBN 10: 0714543438 / ISBN 13: 9780714543437

Published by Calder Publications Ltd, 2010

About this Item

201 pages. 7.80x5.03x0.32 inches. This item is printed on demand.

Seller Inventory # zk0714543438

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Seven Expressionist Plays (Calder Collection)
• Publisher: Calder Publications Ltd
• Publication Date: 2010
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0714543438
• ISBN 13: 9780714543437
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: Brand New
• Weight: 0.24 kilograms

About this title

Synopsis

This volume contains seven plays, written between 1906 and 1926, which demonstrate the basic forms, tenets and preoccupations of German Expressionist drama, which has been described as the forerunner of Absurdist theatre and is characterized by both visual and verbal violence. These plays, taken together, offer an excellent introduction to the entire movement. Kokoschka's Murderer, Hope of Womankind, for example, has that strong ritualistic quality which characterizes so many other Expressionist writings, and Stramm's terrifying Awakening recalls the threatening absurdities of Ionesco's theatre. These plays, with their visionary elements and their timeless quality, speak as clearly to audiences today as they did at the time of their creation.

About the Author

Franz Kafka (1883–1924) is one of the best-known writers in the German language. He is especially famous for The Metamorphosis, The Trial, and The Castle, as well as his many shorter works. He died in 1924, before completing any of his full-length novels. At the end of his life, Kafka asked his lifelong friend and literary executor Max Brod to burn all his unpublished work. Brod overrode those wishes.