Peter Handke�s �Storm Still� at Goethe-Institut today
DL DESK
Goethe-Institut Bangladesh, in association with Jatra Biroti, is bringing a cultural highlight to the interested audience during Ramadan with a unique performance of Austrian writer Peter Handkes novel Storm Still (English translation by Seagull Books Kolkata, 2014) combining elements of literature, music and theatre at the Goethe Institut auditorium today.
The novel was adapted for the stage by musician Varun Kishore and actor Tanaji Dasgupta. Varun Kishore composed the music which creates a new environment for the text. Tanaji Dasgupta interprets the text visually.
Its a dream, a rant, a stream of consciousness, a string of memories. About life and death. And war and peace. And family. And roots. Its about the past and the future. Colliding in the present.
Born in in Griffen, Austria, in 1942, Peter Handke has won numerous prestigious awards, including the America Award in Literature (2002) and the Franz Kafka Prize (2009). In 2014, he won the International Ibsen Award. The awards ceremony included a German performance of Storm Still, using the English translation by Martin Chalmers (Seagull Books, 2014) as subtitles.
His many works of fiction include The Goalies Anxiety at the Penalty Kick (1969), which was later made into a film by Wim Wenders, and The Left-Handed Woman (1978), which was made into a film by Handke himself and was nominated for the Palme dOr at the Cannes Film Festival. He is also a writer of acclaimed plays, including Till Day You do Part, or a Question of Light (English translation published by Seagull Books, 2010). In 2012, Storm Still received the Muelheim Dramatists Prize, the Nestroy Award for Best Piece and was adjudged the Piece of the Year by the prestigious Theater magazine.
Tanaji Dasgupta is a producer, filmmaker and actor based in Kolkata, India. From 2011 to 2014, he was the Executive Producer of Overdose Art Pvt. Ltd., a fiercely independent film production company headed by Q. Tanaji has executive produced the feature films Kajarya, Tasher Desh, Ludo and Nabarun. Film acting credits include Rangmilanti directed by Kaushik Ganguly and Madly Bangalee by Anjan Dutt. Tanaji produced the plays Intro (National Theatre of Scotland co-production, world premiere Exchange 2009 Festival, Stirling, Scotland) and Video (Winner, Best Director, Best Production Design, Thespo X Festival 2008, Mumbai). He co-directed the short documentary Kolkata: City of Literature (produced by the British Council, world premiere Edinburgh Book Festival 2007).
Varun Kishore is a guitar player, composer and producer from Kolkata, India. Before moving to London to study music at university, he studied with Amyt Datta, one of Indias most prolific guitar players, producers and educators. He has worked and studied with producers and musical directors such as Yak Bondy (Emma Bunton, A.R. Rahman), Simon Colam (Donna Summer) and Simon Carter (Jamiroquai, Craig David), and has collaborated with a diverse range of artistes including The Voice UK finalist Joelle Moses, singer-songwriters Adrian Garcia, Carlotta Cosolo and Valentina Passoni, and drummer Ross Craib (Circumnavigate). As a composer, Varuns music tends to incorporate influences from jazz, film music, progressive rock and pretty much anything he has the fortune (or misfortune) of coming into contact withart, film, theatre, books and peopleand has drawn comparisons to Frank Zappa and Robert Fripp.
The entrance is free on the basis of first come, first serve.
Where: Goethe-Institut, House 10, Road 9 (new), Dhanmondi.
When: 8pm, today
