Durrenmatt: A Study in Plays, Prose, Theory

Dürrenmatt’s apparently conflicting statements about his central concerns have baffled scholars attempting to interpret his works. In his critical approach to Dürrenmatt, Timo Tiusanen emphasizes the author’s relation to the theater, and analyzes the thirteen original stage plays, eight radio plays, and five adaptations, using the special concept of “scenic image” developed in an earlier study of O’Neill. Four books by Dürrenmatt on the theater and politics are related to the dramatist’s creative practice, and his six books of prose are also carefully considered. Exploring the writer’s career to reconcile conflicting attitudes that have been taken toward his work, Timo Tiusanen sees Dürrenmatt’s writings as representing a persistent effort to express artistically a paradoxical view of the world.

Originally published in 1978.

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