Screening of Thomas Bernhard’s play Heldenplatz
The Austrian writer Thomas Bernhard (1931 − 1989) was a prolific and exuberant writer, whose prose and plays are dominated by characters who pour vitriolic attacks on Austria, the country’s political and cultural institutions, and the Austrian historical legacy. It is unsurprising that this led to Bernhard being labelled a Nestbeschmutzer [nest-dirtier] by some of his fellow countrymen. Bernhard was no stranger to controversy throughout his life, yet the staging of his play Heldenplatz (1988) was to provoke the biggest scandal of his career.
The play premiered on 4 November 1988, 50 years after Austria’s annexation with Nazi Germany in March 1938, and almost 50 years to the day of ‘Kristallnacht’. The play was also written in the wake of the ‘Waldheim affair’, whereupon it emerged that former UN Secretary General and Austrian president Kurt Waldheim (in office 1986-1992) had lied about his Nazi past. The play centres upon a Viennese Jewish family, tracing their history, emigration and remigration from the time of the Anschluss to 1980s Austria, and addressing the legacy of National Socialism in contemporary Austria. Heldenplatz provoked outrage even before its premiere in Vienna’s Burgtheater as sections were leaked to the press. Despite vocal protests from Bernhard’s opponents during its premiere, which took place under police guard, the play was a triumphant success and contributed significantly to the public discourse on Austria’s historical legacy.
On the twenty-fifth anniversary of its premiere, come and see the DVD recording (194 minutes) of the original Burgtheater production of Heldenplatz on Thursday 14th November 2013, 5.15pm, Sir Clive Granger Building A48.
Screened as part of the module ‘Post-war Austrian Literature’, Department of German Studies, with an introduction by Dr Katya Krylova.
All welcome, but knowledge of German is desirable as there are no subtitles.
For further information please contact Katya Krylova at K.Krylova@nottingham.ac.uk<mailto:K.Krylova@nottingham.ac.uk>