Nashorns conquer the book world: Ape Town” is played!

Nashorns conquer the book world: Ape Town” is played!

In a remarkable social phenomenon, it can be seen that literature can leave a lasting effect. The bookseller of a small bookstore reports that she has not sold a single book by Eugène Ionesco for over ten years. Now, however, she sees herself forced to constantly order "the rhinos" due to the increased interest. In this piece of the French-Romanian author, which was premiered in 1959, a rhino runs through a city and transforms the people into rhinos until only the narrator remains the last person.

"The Nashorns" not only addresses the metamorphosis in an animal, but also sharply criticizes mass psychosis and opportunism, which ultimately shape society. Behringer, the last person, explains determined: "I am the last person. I will stay it until the end. I don't surrender!" This work has established itself as the most successful piece of Ionesco and is still considered the milestone of the absurd theater, which Ionesco decisively founded.

a game with monkeys

The game day in the bookstore is spent in the sense of absurd comedy. Among those present are the bookseller, her cousin and her son, while Ullrich competes as a single player. The evening revolves around the new game "Ape Town", which is equipped with tiles, representing monkeys and bananas. The aim of the game is to dominate the district and to collect points by placing monkey tiles.

In the game, the Kattas, who tirelessly collect points and ultimately win the competition for themselves, predominate. Ullrich, on the other hand, invests in Gorillas, hoping to gain control of the city. Even though fictional, the game reflects the characteristics that also occur in Ionesco's "The Nashorns": the transformation and the struggle for identity.

The master of absurd

Eugène Ionesco, born on November 26, 1909, is considered one of the leading heads of the absurd theater, similar to his well -known works "La Cantatrice Chauve" (the Kahle singer) and "La Leçon" (the lesson), which are still performed today. In his pieces, Ionesco showed the ineffectiveness of the language as a means of communication and highlighted existential topics. Despite the most successful times, he later got into an artistic isolation due to the 68 movement and was able to do little with political Engagement in art.

his works often condense tragedy in comedy and combine a feeling of isolation and absurd. In his youth, Ionesco experienced a torn identity that not only found its way into his plays, but also in his painting and metaphysics considerations. Ionesco died in Paris on March 28, 1994 and remains an essential influence in literary history as a master of absurd.