Zerline’s Tale

Hermann Broch

Hermann Broch was born in 1886 in Vienna, in a family of aristocrats. After he graduated as a textile engineer, he took over his father’s textiles factory. From 1925 to 1928 he studied mathematics, philosophy and psychology at the Vienna University. In 1927, to the surprise of the family, he sold the textiles factory and fully commited himself to writing. During 1931-32 he wrote the first novel, from the trilogy Sleepwalkers. His aquaintances were, among others, Robert Musil, Rainer Maria Rilke, Elias Canetti, James Joyce, Lukács György and Balázs Béla. He was arrested under the Nazi occupation of Austria, but his friends stepped in –James Joyce was one of them – so he was let go. He first emmigrated to England, then the United Stated of America. He was a literature professor at Yale University. He died in 1951. This performance is the dramatisation of a chapter from „The Innocent”.
 

Duration of performance: 1h 15’

Set and costume design: Molnár Zsuzsa

Cast:

Zerline, camerista: Fekete Gizi
Mr. A., the tenant: Barnák László