Anja and Esther
Anja and Esther is a dramatic play in seven acts by Klaus Mann . It was published in 1925 and premiered on October 20, 1925 at the Munich Kammerspiele . The stage set designed Mopsa Sternheim .
content
The piece plays on a remote pen in the present. Anja and Esther, Jakob and Kaspar are members of the peculiar home, which is run by an old man with a prophetic appearance. In the secluded place, the four people indulge in melancholy thoughts, projects and hopes. The relationship between Anja and Esther is portrayed as very intimate. Only the surprising arrival of the dancer Erik upset the isolated melancholy of the four people. Esther falls in love with Erik and leaves home with him. Anja, on the other hand, remains “trapped and safe in the old place”.
History of origin
The play is Klaus Mann's first published play. It was created after his time as a student at the Odenwald School . Much of the atmosphere is reminiscent of the reform school on a remote hill near Heppenheim. The founder and director of the school, Paul Geheeb , saw himself clearly outlined in the figure of the old man . Locations of the Odenwald School can also be identified from the scene descriptions.
Impact history
The performance of the piece was a bit of a sensation. The homoerotic allusions between Anja and Esther caused a public sensation. The play attracted a lot of attention mainly due to the fact that it was written by the son of the respected poet Thomas Mann . In a performance by the Hamburger Kammerspiele on October 22, 1925, the author played together with his sister Erika Mann , Pamela Wedekind and Gustaf Gründgens . “Poet children play theater” was the announcement of the performance. The literary criticism unanimously dismissed the piece as a confused, lengthy and detached youth piece without clear drawing of figures.
expenditure
- Anja and Esther. A romantic piece in 7 pictures. Oesterheld, Berlin 1925 (2nd edition, ibid 1925; 3rd edition, ibid 1925).
- Anja and Esther. A romantic piece in seven pictures (= The graphic books. Vol. 23). Dedicated to Hans Brausewetter . With 8 original linocuts and 13 reproductions based on original linocuts by Wolfgang Henne. Book design: Gert Wunderlich . Faber & Faber, Leipzig 2003, ISBN 3-936618-09-7 .
- in: Klaus Mann: The seventh angel. The plays (= Rororo 12594). Edited by Uwe Naumann and Michael Töteberg . Rowohlt, Reinbek near Hamburg 1989, ISBN 3-499-12594-3 .