I have seen plays by Ionesco, for example "The Bold Primadonna", but never read a book. I don't usually like to read plays, I always say they have to be watched rather than read.
However, I came across this one and hadn't read anything in French for ages, so I started reading it and had a lot of fun.
The story starts with two men sitting in a café and they see a rhinoceros walking by. I don't want to give away the plot, so that is about all I will say about the story.
Only this, the whole the play is fantastic, full of thought-provoking, absurd themes, both philosophical and humoristic. And if you see when it was written, you can also understand the background, the reason for the question "do I need to conform or not?"
I especially enjoyed reading a French book that I liked.
From the back cover:
"When a rhinoceros charges across the town square one Sunday afternoon, Berenger thinks nothing of it. Soon, however, rhinoceroses are popping up everywhere and Berenger's whole world is under threat. What will it take for him to stand up to the increasing menace of rhinocerisation?"
I don't usually read plays, but I make an exception for the plays of Tom Stoppard. We've seen most of his plays and I've read most of them.
ReplyDeleteI'm there with you, don't read plays often. I have read the odd Shakespeare, I do like Oscar Wilde but I still prefer reading novels. Will have to try a Tom Stoppard, then. Any you would recommend?
ReplyDeleteHave a good weekend,
Marianne