Description
The three plays collected in this volume were the first of Max Frisch's dramatic works to reach the public. Now for the first time they appear in English, thanks to the translation skills of Michael Bullock. These three plays are of special interest both to students of modern drama and admirers of Frisch.
Santa Cruz (1944), Frisch's first dramatic effort, has as its subtitle "A Romance," and represents an element of fantasy that runs through all his writing, but was never again to occupy such a preeminent position. Now They're Singing Again (1945), written under the immediate impression of World War II, tells of a soldier who is traumatized by what he sees, hears and feels on his journey through the smouldering battlefields of Central Europe.
The radio play Rip van Winkle (1953), written after Frisch heard the legend during his stay in the USA, foreshadows his novel Stiller. A famous sculptor returns to his native Switzerland after a long absence, during which he feels thathis experiences have changed him into another person. He vehemently denies being the man everyone, including his wife, believes him to be. The theme, the imposition of identity, underlies virtually all Frisch's writing and became a central element in his philosophy.
About the authors
Max Frisch (1911-1991) was born in Zurich Switzerland. In a writing career that spanned six decades, Frisch firmly established himself as one of the most striking voices of modern literature. He began by writing short fiction, then novels and finally a series of plays that have since conquered the stage.
Michael Bullock was born in London in 1918. He has devoted himself intensively to writing and visual art since his mid to late teens. In 1936 he visited the great Surrealist Exhibition at the National Gallery and has remained a committed Surrealist writer and artist ever since. This was followed by a prolonged visit to India, which also made a lasting impression on him that can be clearly seen in his work. He is the author of more than fifty works of poetry and fiction and two plays.
