The Contracts of the Merchant Rechnitz (The Strangler). About T

This volume brings together the three most recent plays by Elfriede Jelinek. As radically different as they are thematically, they share the commonality of being based on true events. However, as is always the case with Jelinek, the focus of the texts is not on the event itself, but on how it manifests in public discourse and collective silence. In "About Animals," a hopelessly loving woman fights against her disappearance before being replaced by male voices loudly proclaiming the availability of sexual services. In "Rechnitz (The Choking Angel)," an elegant society celebrates a party just before the end of World War II, during which, on a whim, nearly 200 Jewish forced laborers are shot—a crime that remains unresolved to this day. Finally, "The Merchant's Contracts.".