Insula

by Mihail Sebastian, Mircea Ștefănescu

In piesa de teatru Insula, a lui Mihail Sebastian, ramasa neterminata [cel de-al treilea act fiind completat de prietenul său Mircea Ștefănescu], asistam la un soi de joc intre aparenta si esenta, un joc oferit de personajele principale, Manuel, Bob si Nadia, care nu sunt altceva decat trei fete ale creatorului. Ajunsi intr-o situatie limita, cei trei eroi sunt foarte saraci, fara hrana, fara bani pentru chirie, fara posibilitatea de a munci, sunt priviti cu suspiciune, se crede ca toate acele lucruri pe care le-au vandut ar fi furate sau ca nu sunt cei ce pretind a fi in actele ce le poseda. In aceasta drama, fiecare dintre ei, vine sa implineasca, prin existenta sa, un gand al lui Mihail Sebastian: Ce greu e sa comunici cu oamenii, circula tot felul de imagini si de idei despre tine insuti. Nu stii de unde vin, cum au luat nastere, pe ce se sprijina. Nici macar nu le cunosti si intre timp, viata ta adevarata e ca o insula.
Premiera piesei Insula a avut loc la Teatrul Municipal, in 17 septembrie 1947. Directorul de scena, Mircea Septilici, a incredintat rolul dactilografei actritei Sara Manu, al directorului agentiei de voiaj actorului Mircea Balaban, rolul proprietaresei a fost jucat de actrita Nela Mircescu, al agentului de politie a fost interpretat de R. Anghelescu, rolul batranului de Nae Stefanescu si cel al tanarului lucrator a fost incredintat actorului Puiu Hulubei. Personajul Lopez, absent in cele doua acte ale piesei scrise de Mihail Sebastian, apare in continuarea realitata de Mircea Septilici, si rolul ii este incredintat lui N. Sireteanu.

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Genres: Theatre, Romanian Literature, Plays

70 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1947

About the author

Mihail Sebastian, born Iosif Hechter, was a Romanian playwright, essayist, journalist and novelist.

Reviews

[Realini Ionescu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Insula by Mihail Sebastian

8 out of 10



Mihail Sebastian is an excellent writer and this play is very good.

I have read The Journal and The Star Without a Name by Sebastian and I loved them both, the journal in particular.

The premise of The Island is very interesting and exotique.

Somewhere in Latin America there is a kind of coup d’état or one of their frequent- some time ago-revolutions.

At a train station we first meet Nadia and Bob as they are trying to get on the next train, but there are no options.

The young man is a famous football player, even if the woman has never heard him, lacking any knowledge of the game.

She is a painter.

Manuel is the third main character who makes a flamboyant entrance in the station-

- I need to go to my important business… I am an important banker

- But there are no trains

- It is impossible; I will buy a ship if necessary. I will pay anything

- There is a small plane that could fly you to Argentina

- You will get $ 10,000 and I will pay another 10,000 for the plane

- I will run to arrange it

The office clerk is away to try and get the plane, while the three stranded people make plans to fly away.

The banker is nonplused when the others express their wish to join him on the plane that represents the only out of the trap.

Manuel offers to pay two thirds of the cost, but his would be associates have only pennies in their pockets.

There is a dramatic twist when the clerk returns announcing that

- The plane is ready and waiting

- Here is the check on your name…

- I am sorry but all the payments are to be made in cash, since this morning

- How can you say that when my name opens any vault on the planet

The result is that the plane will not fly, because Manuel has no cash and there is a terrific Reversal of Fortune.

The three new found friends are hungry but they have very little to pay for, on the plus side- this situation brings them close together.

After this incident we find them together, after some weeks, still trapped in a lodging where they have to sell their clothes.

The strange situation is made even more perplexing by what is an unexpected ménage a trois, where both men love Nadia.

Nadia loves both Bob and Manuel.

They have not paid their rent and eat scraps and potatoes, when they find them, having descended into misery.

The men smoke a discarded half-smoked cigarette.

To add insult to injury, a policeman shows up, from the Vice Squad, threatening to take action against the immoral love triangle.

The moral seems to be that one can find happiness even in misery and in an awkward love affair to boot.

The rivals not only know of each, but they share the same accommodation and feel jealousy on an hourly basis.

But they still feel happy somehow…

The play is dramatically improved by George Constantin in the role of Manuel.

[Mariangel · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is much in common among Mihail Sebastian's plays. As in "Jocul de-a vacanța", the characters find themselves sharing a lodging (though the circumstances in "Insula" are very different), and the men fall in love with the girl. The girl charmingly embraces the new situation as her new life, completely disjoint from all she knew till that moment (as Mona does also in "Steaua fara nume"). One would like to know how Sebastian would have ended this play.

[Dhany Rafa'ēL · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Eu vreau să trăiesc! Nu vreau ca Soarele de mâine dimineață să răsară fără noi!!"

"Cartofii sunt atât de frumoși!" Când ești sărac, acești cartofi reprezintă mai mult decât mâncarea de bază. Ei sunt chiar fascinanți!

Am mai învățat că banii virtuali nu au nicio valoare în momente de criză la scară mare. Cash-ul e salvator. Trebuie, deci, să scot banii din bancă și să îi țin la seif. Nu că am prea mulți, stați fără grijă.

Acum, câteva citate aproximative:

"Destul, treziți-vă! Ați visat destul!"
"Eu sunt poliția. Sunteți suspecți în tot cartierul. Ați făcut datorii peste tot. Nici chiria nu o plătiți."
"Tu zici că e din aur, dar dacă mă trezesc că e din tinichea?"
"Mândria voastră ridicolă de bărbați."
"Voi care spuneați că mă iubiți puteți fi mândri cu mine?"
"Ce vreți voi să faceți cu lucrurile astea moarte?"
"Mai departe nu vezi ... pentru că închizi ochii."
"Nu ne dorim decât să ajungem acasă."
"Tu auzi ce vorbește omul ăsta? Vorbește despre moarte."
"Nu știam că sunt singurul om viu de aici."
"Viața asta nu o dau din mână pentru că alta nu găsesc."

[Manuel Alfonseca · Rating 3 out of 5]

J'ai lis cette œuvre dans sa traduction française. Même inachevée (deux des trois actes écrits) et présentant une situation quelque peu absurde, l'œuvre montre le charme typique de Sebastian. Il y a certaines fautes, comme le fait que la peseta n'a jamais été monnaie valable dans les pays d'Amérique latine, et à l'Espagne il n'a jamais existé une pièce de monnaie de 15 cents de peseta. Le lecteur aimerait savoir comment l'œuvre aurait fini.

I read this work in its French translation. Even unfinished (just two of the three acts were written) and running around a somewhat absurd situation, this play shows the typical Sebastian charm, although there are a few mistakes, such as the fact that the peseta has never been a valid currency in any Spanish-American country, and in Spain there has never been a coin with a value of 15 cent of peseta. The reader would like to know how the work would have ended.