Inspired by: Odyssey by Homer and two novels by Hanna Krall: Chasing the King of Hearts and Story for Hollywood

Odyssey. A Story for Hollywood takes us on a journey from Homer and his hero Odysseus to Hanna Krall and her heroine Izolda, a Jewish woman who spent the whole war besting challenges as difficult as any Herculean task, in order to save her husband. Two enormous conflicts: one connected with the first human war – the siege of Troy – the other being the outcome of the second of two World Wars. And as of today, what does it all have to do with us? Where would we like to return to? What does our Hades look like now? Where have all our gods gone? Where is Pallas Athene, who so very much sought to capture Odysseus’ heart? And the Holy Mother who protected Izolda? Have the gods also lost faith in the possibility of happy returns, seeing a future in which our world has set off on an irreversible course? We all live in fear, and all alone cannot do anything about it. We tame it by being flippant.

Homer celebrated Odysseus’ triumphs by referring to the songs of the wondering Aoyds. The story of Izolda, who thinks her life would make a wonderful Hollywood film, has been turned into Chasing the King of Hearts, a novel by Hanna Krall. And what about us being remembered? Is it worth bothering anyone with our stories?

Krzysztof Warlikowski crafts a panorama of unexpected analogies. On a journey of free associations, he leads us through surprising landscapes and constellations of characters, testing our ability to take on another global human conflict, while also offering up a few tested and tried ways of surviving.

Nowy Teatr, Warsaw

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