''Handkerchief of Clouds: A Tragedy in Fifteen Acts'' (french: Mouchoir de Nuages) is a French-language

Dada Dada () or Dadaism was an art movement of the European avant-garde in the early 20th century, with early centres in Zürich, Switzerland, at the Cabaret Voltaire (Zurich), Cabaret Voltaire (in 1916). New York Dada began c. 1915, and after 192 ...

ist play by

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

n-born author

Tristan Tzara Tristan Tzara (; ; born Samuel or Samy Rosenstock, also known as S. Samyro; – 25 December 1963) was a Romanian and French avant-garde poet, essayist and performance artist. Also active as a journalist, playwright, literary and art critic, comp ...

. Tzara described it as an "

ironic Irony (), in its broadest sense, is the juxtaposition of what on the surface appears to be the case and what is actually the case or to be expected; it is an important rhetorical device and literary technique. Irony can be categorized into ...

tragedy Tragedy (from the grc-gre, τραγῳδία, ''tragōidia'', ''tragōidia'') is a genre of drama based on human suffering and, mainly, the terrible or sorrowful events that befall a main character. Traditionally, the intention of tragedy ...

" or a "tragic

farce Farce is a comedy that seeks to entertain an audience through situations that are highly exaggerated, extravagant, ridiculous, absurd, and improbable. Farce is also characterized by heavy use of physical humor; the use of deliberate absurdity o ...

", composed of 15 short

acts The Acts of the Apostles ( grc-koi, Πράξεις Ἀποστόλων, ''Práxeis Apostólōn''; la, Actūs Apostolōrum) is the fifth book of the New Testament; it tells of the founding of the Christian Church and the spread of its message ...

, each with an accompanying commentary, with a strong influence from "the serialized novel and the cinema."Robbins (1987, 137) and Melzer (1976, 193). Its action, he continues, should be staged on a platform in the centre of a box-like room "from which the actors cannot leave" It was first staged on 17 May 1924 at the Théâtre de la Cigale in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

. The play was Tzara's last Dada production.Gordon (1987, 24).

Notes

Sources

* Gordon, Mel, ed. 1987. ''Dada Performance''. New York: PAJ Publications. . * Melzer, Annabelle. 1976. ''Dada and Surrealist Performance.'' PAJ Books ser. Baltimore and London: The Johns Hopkins UP, 1994. . * Richter, Hans. 1997. ''Dada: Art and Anti-Art''. Trans. David Britt. Updated edition. London: Thames & Hudson. . * Robbins, Aileen, trans. 1987. ''A Handkerchief of Clouds: A Tragedy in Fifteen Acts.'' By

. In Gordon (1987, 137-161). {{DEFAULTSORT:Handkerchief of Clouds 1924 plays Plays by Tristan Tzara Dada

See also

Notes

Sources