Les Combustibles

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Les Combustibles (German: Die Brennbaren ) is a play for three people by the Belgian writer Amélie Nothomb , published in 1994 .

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The play takes place in winter during an undisclosed war. Three people appear in the play, the professor , his assistant Daniel and his lover Marina . The setting is the professor's house to which the other two moved. Since it is very cold, all the furniture has already been burned. Now that they have run out, Marina makes the shocking suggestion to burn books to escape the cold. During the plot, all moral concepts are lost, so Marina gets involved with the professor. The plot ends with the professor burning the last book they have and consequently Marina keeping to her guideline to kill herself. She runs to the central square and lets the barbarians shoot her. Daniel follows her, the professor stays behind.

Excerpt

LE PROFESSEUR. Je sais, Marina. Je n'ai plus rien à brûler.
MARINA (en regardant la bibliothèque). Et ça?
LE PROFESSEUR. Les étagères? Elles sont en métal.
MARINA. Non, le livres.
Silence gêné.
DANIEL. Ce n'est pas du combustible, Marina.
MARINA (avec un sourire ingénu). Mais si, Daniel. Ca brûle très bien.
LE PROFESSEUR. Si nous nous mettions à brûler les livres, alors, vraiment, nous aurions perdu la guerre.

The professor: I know. I have nothing left to burn.
Marina (pointing to the library): And that?
The professor: The shelves? They are made of metal.
Marina: No, the books.
Embarrassed silence.
They're not combustible, Marina.
Marina (with an unabashed laugh): Sure, Daniel. It burns very well.
Professor: If we go over to burning books, then we really have lost the war.

Question

Even if you move on to burning books, which book can be sacrificed and which must be preserved? This is what the characters in the play discuss below.

The play was translated into English and Italian and staged at various theaters (including 2006 at the Theatre du Trident in Québec). Based on the book, Daniel Schell composed an opera that premiered in 1997 at the XXe Théâtre in Paris.

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