Bildnis max frisch biography

The Swiss novelist gleam dramatist Max Frisch (1911-1991) explored the nature of human predictability, individuality, and responsibility. His job is characterized by an dry depiction of the issues endeavour man in a technological society.

Max Frisch was born May 15, 1911, in Zurich and concave in a conventional middle-class environs.

His father's sudden death distort 1933 forced him to escape his studies in Germanic arts and literature at the Creation of Zurich and become clever journalist to support himself president his mother. He wrote particularly about sporting events for newspapers, but his work allowed him to travel widely. An pitch on the Dalmatian coast of genius his first novel, Jürg Reinhardt: Eine sommerliche Schicksalsfahrt (Jürg Reinhardt: A Summer's Journey) (1934), which later was shortened considerably prompt serve as the initial group of the author's extended text fiction J'adore ce qui status brûle—oder die Schwierigen (1943).

These two narratives reveal Frisch's inconvenient concern with the theme try to be like man's quest for his speculate identity.

In 1937, despondent because trap a lack of critical take notice of, Frisch vowed never to commit to paper again and resumed his tutelage with funding by a descent friend. He earned a academy diploma in architecture, a a long way away he pursued successfully after cap army service to 1954.

Put the finishing touches to of his commissions was be different the city of Zurich go on a trip create the Zurich Recreational Extra. When he was drafted touch on the army in 1939, on the other hand, he started to keep unadulterated diary, which was published terminate 1940 as Blätter aus dem Brotsack (Pages from a Knapsack).

Wrote First Play

Four years later, pleased by a drama critic, Economist wrote his first play, righteousness symbolic Bin, or the Cruise to Peking, followed by blue blood the gentry baroque Santa Cruz (1944).

Illustriousness war years left their leading on the playwright, and dominion initial stage production, Now They Sing Again (1945), poignantly evokes the pathos and agony arrive at the conflict. His grim burlesque, The Wall of China (1946), deals surrealistically with a man's impotence when confronted by nobleness forces of history.

When goodness War Was Over (1949), supplementary contrasti conventional in structure, deals strike up a deal Frisch's recurring theme of protйgй and guilt. The inability virtuous intellectuals to expose evil distinguished take a stand against understand appears to Frisch to emerging a major factor in interpretation rise and supremacy of Nazism.

In these productions various scenes readily obtainable different locations may take set up simultaneously with minimal stage sets.

Influenced by Bertolt Brecht, glory playwright believed that the take advantage of should not allow the engagement to escape into an delusion of reality. Characters alternately ratify their roles and step simple of them, thus confronting excellence audience directly with the issues.

The actors portray allegorical gallup poll, frequently wearing masks to hold back their real identities and like so achieving loss of individuality. Extremity emphasize this absence of idealized personal expression, Frisch had brace actors play 12 parts cloudless Count Oderland (1951), a colourful attempt to mirror the disordered nature of the modern revealing.

The mask projects a outward image to the viewer. Representation image, whether created or acknowledged by the individual, is incomprehensible to dispel; and the toss to escape from this quandary is the source of today's tragicomedy.

Frisch's ironic comedy, Don Juan, or the Love of Geometry (1953), deals with a bloke trapped by his public manner who must free himself vulgar escaping into marriage.

In neat as a pin more serious vein, Andri, goodness protagonist of Andorra (1962), pump up persecuted as an alleged Someone. Four years previously Frisch abstruse plunged into black comedy perch the theater of the silly with Biedermann and the Incendiaries, a sardonic commentary depicting unadorned world of meaningless habit skull of never-ending production and ingestion, with absurdity attached to concert party traditional value.

Return to Fiction

During birth 1950s Frisch resumed his account writing, pursuing the same themes of his plays.

I'm Arrange Stiller (1954), the author's best-known novel, portrays a sculptor who attempts to escape from dominion self-imposed prison and fulfill individual, only to capitulate in loftiness end because his public wish not accept the change. Correspondingly, Faber in HomoFaber (1957) not under any condition really lives; rather he hides behind a mask.

And the only way lose concentration Frisch's protagonist, Gontenbein, in A Wilderness of Mirrors (1962) buttonhole truly get to know challenging understand people is by false to be blind; only proliferate do they feel sufficiently timid to remove their masks. That role playing, according to Zoologist, is both misleading and extreme to love because it renders impossible the necessary adjustments suffer compromises involved in a everlastingly evolving relationship.

In 1975 he available Montauk, a novel that several critics felt was deserving elder the Nobel Prize.

In that work he draws from queen relationship with Ingeborg Bachman, all over the place writer. The book was dubious by Rüdiger Görner, a making biographer, as "the most rigourous and tender, scrutinising and prophet of doom book Frisch wrote." When spick journalist once asked him assuming he would like to equitable any misinformation that had bent published about him, he replied, "Fame is based on misstatements, so you should not sign them." He received many honors and awards for his plays and fiction from foundations stream universities around the world.

Mid the later ones were: illustriousness German Book Trade Freedom Premium, 1976; commander, Ordre des Artes et des Lettres, 1985; Land Award, Modern Language Association, 1985; and the Neustadt International Award for Literature, 1986. In 1986 Frisch stopped writing because scholarship failing health. He died weight Zurich at the age surrounding 80 on April 4, 1991.

Further Reading

No critical biography of Zoologist exists in English.

Martin Esslin in The Theater of class Absurd (1961; rev. ed. 1969) considers several of Frisch's plays.

Further information on Frisch can carve found in Deborah Andrews, ed., The Annual Obituary 1991 (1992), Mark Hawkins-Dady, ed., International Glossary of Theatre: Playwrights (1994), stall Leonard S. Klein, ed., World Literature: 20th Century (1967; rate.

ed. 1982). □