Georg Buchner: Complete Plays and Prose

Like many a young theater type I was enthralled by Woyzeck, and I've always intended to go back and pick up the rest of Büchner's slim body of work. And so I finally did. This is the complete version, as translated by Henry J. Schmidt. It was certainly an interesting read, particularly Lenz which I was genuinely glad to have encountered. The problem with Büchner's plays is that they are the kind of dramatic pieces which frankly are staged much better than they read as literature. The plays read like tantalizing glimpses and lines, not like complete experiences. I realized that I had read Danton's Death before, but I had not read Leonce and Lena and it may even be that I finished this book with more interest in seeing that staged than Woyzeck itself. The book comes bound with a selection with notes and documentary material for which I honestly found that I had very little use. It may be more valuable to the scholar than to the general reader.

Danton's Death, Lena und Leonce and Woyzeck... these three plays amongst the stories and letters belong on the shelves of all lovers of German literature. Buchner is indispensible, the open drama of Danton's Death and Woyzeck looks forward to the plays of the Experimentalist writers of the 20th century. There are hints of Beckett and Brecht here. (I should say this book belongs on the shelves of theatre lovers as well...) Sadly, like Franz Schubert and Novalis, Buchner died too young. He was a genius, devoted to science and medicine whereas his literary works were treated as secondary pursuits by the author. He read the Romantic writers of the time, translations of Shakespeare (some compare the figure of Danton to Hamlet) and philosophy (noteably Kant and Rousseau). This is a wonderful compilation of his works. I highly recommend it.

Buchner, unknown to many readers, stands as one of the great prophets of literature. By predicting future literary movements and historical trends, Buchner stands at the head of some of the greatest literature of the modern world. His influence in the Theater of the Absurd, Existentialism, and the reaction against Hegelian idealism attest to his genius. Considered by many to be much too ahead of his time (maybe even still ahead of our time), his works are critical in understanding the modern mind. Mueller's translation is excellent and his introduction serves well in introducing the reader to the world of Buchner.

This thin volume contains the complete plays and writings of one of the most influential playwrights of modern drama. Though dead at the age of 23, Buchner is considered by many to be the progenitor of such varied schools of drama as Theater of the Absurd and Expressionism, Buchner stood years ahead of his time with the deep psychological treatment he gave his characters. All of his plays and his revolutionary political writings are included here. The Mueller translations are an essential addition to any dramatic library.