Berenger Plays: The Killer, Rhinocerous, Exit the King, Strolling in the Air

The four plays by Ionesco that feature Jean Bérenger as the protagonist, "The Killer," "Rhinoceros," "Exit the King," and "A Stroll in the Air," are collected in this volume. These plays are prime examples of Ionesco's conception of the theatre of the absurd and explore themes such as mortality, alienation, freedom, and the evils of Fascism. This collection is a perfect introduction to one of the twentieth century's most original and influential playwrights.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 288 pages
Publication date: 18 December 2019
Publisher: Alma Books Ltd

This collection brings together the four plays that feature Ionesco's everyman protagonist Jean Bérenger. In 'The Killer', he encounters a "radiant city", an ideal civilization that is being terrorized by a killer, whom he tries to help apprehend. In 'Rhinoceros', he is the only person in a provincial town who is not affected by a condition that turns its victims into the eponymous horned beast. In 'Exit the King', he is the powerful King Bérenger the First, who refuses to accept that he is dying. And in 'A Stroll in the Air', he acquires the capacity of flight and sees another world lying beyond the clouds. While each play in the Bérenger cycle is unique, they are all prime examples of Ionesco's conception of the theatre of the absurd and touch on themes that preoccupied the author throughout his career, such as mortality, alienation, freedom, and the evils of Fascism. This volume constitutes a perfect introduction to one of the twentieth century's most original and influential playwrights.

Weight: 310g
Dimension: 128 x 197 x 26 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780714548487