The Blacks : a clown show

by Jean Genet

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An English translation of Genet's symbolic drama which was first performed in Paris in 1959.

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3 reviews
This play & The Screens are probably my 2 favorite Genet plays. At the beginning of the play, Genet wrote:

"This play, written, I repeat, by a white man, is intended for a white audience, but if, which is unlikely, it is ever performed before a black audience, then a white person, male or female, should be invited every evening. The organizer of the show should welcome him formally, dress him in ceremonial costume and lead him to his seat, preferably in the front row of the orchestra. The actors will play for him. A spotlight should be focused upon this symbolic white throughout the performance.

"But what if no white person accepted? Then let white masks be distributed to the black spectators as they enter the theater. And if blacks show more refuse the masks, then let a dummy be used."

Imagine being the "symbolic white" in such a way! Imagine the stressfulness of being expected to somehow 'represent' hundreds of millions of people. Imagine the potential hostility that such a 'representation' might arouse - one wrong move & the whole of 'whiteness' might be condemned. Then imagine the 'blackness' of the play being under a similar degree of unpleasant scrutiny. Genet combines race & class in his own special symbolic way.
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یه نمایشنامه از یک سفیدپوست برای سیاهان! من زیاد چیزی نفهمیدم... یا ترجمه بد بود یا سطح تمرکز من خیلی پایین اما نمی‌تونستم بیشتر از دو دقیقه روی متن متمرکز بمونم و هی ذهنم می‌پرید
It might be me, but I just did not feel this at all. Maybe I need to see it?

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Author Information

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Author
145+ Works 10,219 Members
Jean Genet was born in Paris, France on December 19, 1910. He was an illegitimate child abandoned by his mother, raised by Public Assistance, and sent to live with foster parents at the age of seven. At the age of 10 he was accused of stealing. He spent five years at the Mettray Reformatory and as a young adult spent time in various European show more prisons for vagrancy, homosexuality, theft, and smuggling. He began writing in 1942, while in prison. His works include Our Lady of the Flowers, Miracle of the Rose, and The Thief's Journal. In 1948, he was convicted of burglary for the 10th time and condemned to automatic life imprisonment. However, by 1947, his works had gained attention from such writers as Jean-Paul Sartre, André Gide, and Jean Cocteau. After the sentence, they petitioned for his release and a pardon was granted. In the late 1940s, Genet began to write for the theatre, but several of his plays were too controversial to be performed in France. His plays included The Maids, Deathwatch, The Blacks, and The Balcony. He died on April 15, 1986. (Bowker Author Biography) show less

Some Editions

Frechtman, Bernard (Translator)
Kuhlman, Roy (Cover designer)

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Common Knowledge

Canonical title
The Blacks : a clown show
Original title
Les Nègres
Alternate titles*
Les nègres : clownerie
Original publication date
1958
Blurbers
Taubman, Howard; Kroll, Jack
Original language
French
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.

Classifications

Genre
Fiction and Literature
DDC/MDS
842.912Literature & rhetoricFrench LiteratureFrench drama1900-20th century1900-1945
LCC
PQ2613 .E53 .N43Language and LiteratureFrench, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese literaturesFrench literatureModern literature1900-1960
BISAC

Statistics

Members
478
Popularity
63,598
Reviews
3
Rating
½ (3.35)
Languages
6 — English, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Farsi/Persian
Media
Paper, Ebook
ISBNs
20
ASINs
18