FRAGMENTE AND 3.31.93. IBD

Sinopsis

Lars Norén, generally considered Sweden&rsquo,s greatest playwright since August Strindberg, has written over 75 plays. While they are regularly per¡formed in Nordic and European countries and have been translated into sev¡eral languages, English-language readers were deprived of his major works until 2013, when Chaucer Press Books published Two Plays: And Give Us the Shadows and Autumn and Winter, followed by Three Plays: Demons, Act, and Terminal 3 and then by Blood and War. This volume pre¡sents two of Norén&rsquo,s most recent major plays in English that are thematically related, written after the financial collapse of 2008: FRAGMENTE is about what happened to the working class after the collapse, especially how its members&mdash,composed of many immigrants hit by layoffs and uncertainty&mdash,did their best to live through their often life-threat¡ening situation. á3.31.93. is about a middle class neighborhood in a big city whose citizens&mdash,fraught with angst, illness and psychological problems after the financial collapse&mdash,both depend upon and avoid each other. In both plays horrific, pointless crimes are committed that seemingly reflect the &ldquo,disconnect&rdquo, between people and governmental bu¡reaucracies attempting desperately, but in vain, to be helpful and caring. What really stands out about these plays, however, is how they capture the charac¡ters&rsquo, humanity and the essence of their everyday lives, for better or worse. Translator Marita Lindholm Gochman was born in Sweden and came to America in 1964, where she has had a rich theatrical career. In 1985 she translated her first Norén play into English, The Last Supper, and has since translated 25 of his plays&mdash,making her Norén&rsquo,s foremost English language translator. Since 1987 Ms. Gochman, who lives in Manhattan, NY, has served as a board member of Circle in the Square, The Inter¡national Theatre Insti¡tute, and The Signature Theatre. &ldquo,Lars Norén, regarded by many as the greatest Swedish playwright since Strindberg, has dealt with the love-hate relationships of modern dysfunctional families in emotionally powerful and sombre plays spiced with absurd humour.&rdquo, &mdash,Encyclopedia Britannica Online &ldquo,He has made the present time our home and exposed the anxiety beneath the surface of the welfare state.&rdquo, &mdash,Per Wastberg, former chairman of International PEN and editor-in-chief of Sweden&rsquo,s largest daily newspaper