Welcome to Litsy!

In Travesties, Stoppard dreams up a fictional meeting in 1917 between writer James Joyce, artist Tristan Tzara, and Communist leader Lenin. (They were actually all living in Zurich, but there is no evidence they actually met.)

In this dream meeting, the historical figures accidentally re-create large portions of Oscar Wilde's The Importance Of Being Earnest, making the entire play the #WILDEstDreams possible.

Surprisingly fun. I ended up learning a lot about art, particularly the Dadaist movement. Thanks, Tom!

Stuffing bread rolls up their noses?! 👃🏻🍞

😂

I *can* speak French, but I can't speak Russian, so I am glad for the parenthetical translations.
#melodicmay day 9: Can't Speak French

"I well remember as though it were yesteryear (oh where are they now?) how Hugo Ball--or was it Hans Arp? yes!--no!--Picabia, was it?--no, Tzara--yes! wrote his name in the snow with a walking stick and said: There! I think I'll call it The Alps."

(When a Tom Stoppard play makes you think of Calvin and Hobbes...)

Have to read this play quickly, because it's due back on Tuesday and I can't renew it. Oops!
Pictured is one reason I am reading this: Tom Hollander played Henry Carr in a recent adaptation at the Menier Chocolate Factory 😄 (and later the Apollo Theatre in the West End).

I am enjoying the very 70s font on the library's copy of this play ✌

What book that had a major impact on the way you think would you guess has been read by the fewest people?

For me, it's this "lesser" Stoppard play about a fictional meeting of Communist Vladimir Lenin, author James Joyce, and and artist Tristan Tzara.

Since then, all sorts of odd combinations of historical figures have been having debates in my head.