The Linguanaut Third Edition

Haikus by Michael Proskuryakov on the play  ‘Biedermann und die BrandsƟŌer’ by Max Frisch 

Die Stadt brennt so oŌ  Wie kann das denn passieren  Es muss Schicksal sein.

Warum Biedermann  Hast du die Augen noch zu  BrandsƟŌer sind vor dir! 

Biedermann ist Tod  Die BrandsƟŌer sind Teufel  Warum war er doof? 

Zündschnur, Strichhölzchen  Das brauchen wir, um dein Haus  Zu brennen. Danke! 

Wir gehen hier rein  Der Mann scheint naiv zu sein  Wir nützen ihn aus 

Mann soll nicht schweigen  Wenn etwas bedrohlich ist  Es könnte töten. 

Ringer von Beruf  Sagt der Mann, der Will heiβt  Na ja – so ein Quatsch! 

‘Biedermann und die BrandsƟŌer’ (translated: The Arsonists) by Swiss playwright Max Frisch is a ‘moral story without a moral’ about an honest, middle class ciƟzen called GoƩlieb Biedermann who believes re- cent reports in his town about arson aƩacks are down to the stupidity of his fellow ciƟzens… he does not believe someone as sensible as him could fall for such a trick. Then he gets a knock on the door and the play unfolds with the audience seeing how easily the average person can be manipulated and their good conscience taken advantage of. This is a wiƩy play with poliƟcal undertones: how oŌen have we stood by and observed bad situaƟons unfold believing we’d act differently and more courageously than people who have experienced this before?

6