Akzente 2 / 3 / 2024: Monologe

In contemporary literature, monologues and self-conceptions can be found across various genres, including works by Sibylle Berg, Mirko Bonné, Jon Fosse, Peter Handke, Elfriede Jelinek, Veronique Olmi, Yasmina Reza, Ferdinand von Schirach, Benedict Wells, and Juli Zeh. The self remains an inexhaustible field of experimentation, and engaging with it is a risk. The author Monika Buschey encourages in her story "The Happy Yesterday" right from the first sentence: "I must speak. I must dare. No one but me can do it." Thus, the self ventures forth, right into the realm of interpersonal relationships along with its thoughts and emotions. Shimmering yet steadfast, it defends its self-chosen position as in Buschey's monologue "The Kiss, the World, the Spark of the Gods": "I, on the other hand, am a marginal figure. My kind endures over long stretches, over long periods. Each era brings us forth anew. We change our garments, not our character; we remain true to the margins.".