Alistair Beaton Knihy

Červen 1940 v Berlíně. Nacistická propaganda oslavuje vítězství nad Francií, zatímco v bytě manželů Anny a Oty Quangelových v Prenzlauer Berg panuje hluboký zármutek. Jejich syn padl na frontě. Oba manželé dlouho věřili "vůdci" a věrně jej následovali. Nyní však poznávají v jeho slibech lži a podvody. Oba začínají psát pohlednice na znamení odporu, ke kterému chtějí vyburcovat ostatní: "zastavte válečnou mašinerii!" S nasazením života roznášejí pohlednice dům od domu. Záhy se jim dostáva na stopu SS a gestapo. A také pro vlastní sousedy se stávají nebezpečím... Poslední román Hanse Fallady (1893-1947), napsaný na podzim roku 1946 za čtyři týdny horečné práce, je autentickým svědectvím každodenního života v Berlíně během nacistické éry.

This is a much needed parody of all those kitschy little books like THE LITTLE BOOK OF CALM that promise that peace of mind, success, happiness, terrific orgasms, good health and longevity are all available in an icklewickle package costing not more than a few quid.

Caledonia is a story of greed, euphoria and mass delusion. It is the story of a small, poor country mistaking itself for a place that is both big and rich. It is an ancient story for modern times.William Paterson was a financial adventurer who in 1698 devised one of the most daring and disastrous speculations of all time. His plan: to found a Scottish colony in Darien on the isthmus of Panama in Central America and turn Scotland, one of the poorest nations in Europe, into a prosperous colonial power. He invited the public to invest. And they did - in a big way. Within weeks a vast proportion of the nation's wealth had been subscribed.What went wrong? Distance, disease, corruption and culpability all played a part in this ruinous episode. Within a few years, the Scots - demoralized and impoverished - gave up their nation's independent status and signed the 1707 Treaty of Union with England. Inspired by documents, journals, letters, songs and poems of the period, celebrated playwright and satirist Alistair Beaton has created a work that is both a tribute to heroic ambition and a darkly witty take on the deceptions and self-deceptions of rich and poor alike.Caledonia headlined the Edinburgh International Festival, in a co-production with the National Theatre of Scotland and directed by Anthony Neilson in 2010.