Antigone Undone
Juliette Binoche, Anne Carson, Ivo van Hove, and the Art of Resistance
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4.0 • 1 Rating
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
In 2015 Will Aitken journeyed to Luxembourg for the rehearsals and premiere of Anne Carson’s translation of Sophokles’ 5th-century BCE tragedy Antigone, starring Juliette Binoche and directed by theatrical sensation Ivo van Hove.
In watching the play, he became awestruck with the plight of the young woman at the centre of the action. “Look at what these men are doing to me,” Antigone cries, expressing the predicament of the dispossessed throughout time. Transfixed by the strange and uncanny power of the play, he finds himself haunted by its protagonist, finally resulting in a suicidal breakdown.
With a backstage view of the action, Aitken illuminates the creative process of Carson, Binoche, and Van Hove and offers a rare glimpse into collaborative genius in action. He also investigates the response to the play by Hegel, Virginia Woolf, Judith Butler, and others, who too, were moved by its timeless protest against injustice.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Aitken's inspiring autobiographical odyssey, which centers on Sophocles's tragedy Antigone as translated by poet Anne Carson, is a testimony to the power of art. Carson invited Aitken (Glass Rain) to attend rehearsals in Luxembourg for a production of the play, directed by Ivo van Hove and starring Juliette Binoche. The first section of the book is a diary in which Aitken shares his experience of the rehearsals and text and their profound effect on him: "Antigone opened my eyes to the constancy of human suffering and said to me, Nothing changes, nothing ever will.' And this is how I tumbled headlong into despair." The book's second part interweaves conversations and correspondence among Aitken, Carson, van Hove, and Binoche, giving readers glimpses behind the scenes, such as Binoche's story of visiting a morgue to prepare for her role. In the final part, Aitken compares the ideas of philosophers and writers, including G.W.F. Hegel, S ren Kierkegaard, and Virginia Woolf, who share his obsession with Antigone. He explores common themes such as feminism, depression, and the intersection of art and politics, effectively connecting the personal, the philosophical, and the artistic. Aitken champions a way of making and seeing the arts that heightens their relevance and brings Sophocles's 2,500-year-old play into readers' contemporary lives and world.
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