Said Ahmed Mohamed

This is the first play I've read translated from an African language, and I was pleased to see that the translators had included a discussion at the end of the translation, since it helped me understand a few things about the play (like the title, which did not translate this way from the original language; the authors sought to maintain the meaning more than the exact words, but struggled to find something that would both keep the meaning, and fit with the way the play was designed. This was only marginally successful). The play that comes to mind when I read this was Waiting for Godot, which for me is high praise, since I think the author holds up well against the other play in terms of absurdism, lack of plot, and use of ridiculous situations and language. I suspect the only reason I give it fewer stars is that some of the dynamics in the play are less familiar to me, and probably do not seem as clever to someone from a significantly different culture. That being said, if you can get your hands on this play, you should definitely read it (but only if you like absurdism; anyone who doesn't like or understand absurdism will just come away from it thinking "this play is stupid". Trust me, it isn't). I would love to see it performed.… (mehr)