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Copenhagen by Michael Frayn
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Copenhagen (original 1998; edition 2012)

by Michael Frayn (Author)

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
1,1053018,205 (4.07)43
In 1941 the German physicist Werner Heisenberg made a strange trip to Copenhagen to see his Danish counterpart, Niels Bohr. They were old friends and close colleagues, and they had revolutionised atomic physics in the 1920s with their work together on quantum mechanics and the uncertainty principle. But now the world had changed, and the two men were on opposite sides in a world war. The meeting was fraught with danger and embarrassment, and ended in disaster. Why the German physicist Heisenberg went to Copenhagen in 1942 and what he wanted to say to the Danish physicist Bohr are questions which have exercised historians of nuclear physics ever since. In Michael Frayn's new play Heisenberg meets Bohr and his wife Margrethe once again to look for the answers, and to work out, just as they had once worked out the internal functioning of the atom, how we can ever know why we do what we do. 'Michael Frayn's tremendous new play is a piece of history, an intellectual thriller, a psychological investigation and a moral tribunal in full session.' Sunday Times… (more)
Member:SandSing7
Title:Copenhagen
Authors:Michael Frayn (Author)
Info:L.A. Theatre Works (2012)
Collections:Your library
Rating:***1/2
Tags:British Drama, Historical Fiction, Audiobook, World War II

Work Information

Copenhagen by Michael Frayn (1998)

  1. 00
    Tickling the Dragon by Ruth Brandon (KayCliff)
  2. 00
    The Physicists by Friedrich Dürrenmatt (MissBrangwen)
  3. 00
    Life of Galileo by Bertolt Brecht (MissBrangwen)
  4. 00
    Arcadia by Tom Stoppard (Jannes)
    Jannes: Science, the exploration of the unknown in the universe, explaining life through mathematical concepts, and the uncertainty of the past. These two plays have a lot in common, and are both equally brilliant.
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» See also 43 mentions

English (28)  German (1)  Italian (1)  All languages (30)
Showing 1-5 of 28 (next | show all)
Important subject and literary does not equal a great play... ( )
  Mcdede | Jul 19, 2023 |
Fascinating what-if about the mysterious meeting between Bohr and Heisenberg in 1941, when Heisenberg was leading the German nuclear effort and he came to see his old teacher and wife in Copenhagen. Bohr later escaped to Sweden, and eventually to Los Alamos where he was a part of the team that built the atomic bomb. If you have studied quantum physics, there's a lot to enjoy here. In the end, however, despite the various hypotheses in the play, it is still rather difficult to know what actually happened. But you do feel that perhaps you understand these personalities a bit better--and their role in the 20th century's most momentous discoveries and events. For a recorded theatre production where you can't see the actors, it works well. The two male characters speak quite differently, so there is no confusion. I understand that the print version of the play contains a lot of background information, which will be very helpful if you haven't read much about this event before. ( )
  datrappert | May 22, 2023 |
A fantastic stripped-down play that examines friendship, disagreement, and motive. ( )
  DrFuriosa | Dec 4, 2020 |
An audio production of the play which explores the relationship between Niels Bohr and Werner Heisenberg, rotating around the mysterious meeting between the two during the height of WWII in 1941. All three cast members are equally strong and the play works hard to make the physics comprehensible to the audience. The play is cyclical as the characters continue to come back to the meeting in 1941 while going on tangents about the relationship between the two scientists and the orbital role played by Bohr's wife, Margrethe. The stellar voice cast for this production makes the play but it wasn't a runaway favourite. ( )
  MickyFine | Jul 22, 2020 |
What a play. As I watched it I knew I had to see it again but wouldn't be able to as the season was booked out. As it was, the night we went our seats were on the stage. A peculiar experience.

Still, it meant I bought the book the next day. Gleefully grabbed by one of the people I went with before I could blink, so I hope that gives you an idea of how dense and yet magnetic this play is.



( )
  bringbackbooks | Jun 16, 2020 |
Showing 1-5 of 28 (next | show all)
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» Add other authors

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Michael Fraynprimary authorall editionscalculated
Greffenhagen, IngeTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Hartmann, MariaDarstellersecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Leoprechting, Bettina vonTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Marcus, JoanPhotographersecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Schröder, PeterDarstellersecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Striebeck, PeterDarstellersecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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Dedication
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Margrethe: But why?
Quotations
But I was there, and when I remember what it was like I'm there still, and I look around me and what I see isn't a story! It's confusion and rage and jealousy and tears and no one knowing what things mean or which way they're going to go.
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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
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Information from the German Common Knowledge. Edit to localize it to your language.
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In 1941 the German physicist Werner Heisenberg made a strange trip to Copenhagen to see his Danish counterpart, Niels Bohr. They were old friends and close colleagues, and they had revolutionised atomic physics in the 1920s with their work together on quantum mechanics and the uncertainty principle. But now the world had changed, and the two men were on opposite sides in a world war. The meeting was fraught with danger and embarrassment, and ended in disaster. Why the German physicist Heisenberg went to Copenhagen in 1942 and what he wanted to say to the Danish physicist Bohr are questions which have exercised historians of nuclear physics ever since. In Michael Frayn's new play Heisenberg meets Bohr and his wife Margrethe once again to look for the answers, and to work out, just as they had once worked out the internal functioning of the atom, how we can ever know why we do what we do. 'Michael Frayn's tremendous new play is a piece of history, an intellectual thriller, a psychological investigation and a moral tribunal in full session.' Sunday Times

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