What do you think?
Rate this book
Biography: A Game
A reissue of a comic and tragic play that asks just how much of our life we could—or would—change if we got another chance.
In this play by Swiss playwright and novelist Max Frisch, a middle-aged behavioral researcher Kürmann is given the opportunity to start his life over at any point he chooses and change his decisions and actions in matters both serious and mundane—He could save his marriage, become politically active, take better care of his health, or even change the color of his living room furniture. Despite his intention to apply the wisdom he has acquired with age, Kürmann finds himself inexorably trapped in the same decisions. Ultimately proving fatal, Kürmann’s life game interrogates how much of our own path is shaped by seemingly random factors and how much is in fact predetermined by our own limited, conditioned selves. The play’s central idea—that our lives are nothing but a self-conscious play with imaginary identities—is brilliantly captured in Biography ’s dramaturgical form, setting up a theatre rehearsal as the metaphor for the endless possibilities and variables of the game of life. Frisch’s own revised, dramatically heightened version of his play celebrates not only the theatre as a form of self-expression but also the human condition in all its potential and limitations as it showcases both comic and tragic outcomes that define all our lives.
In this play by Swiss playwright and novelist Max Frisch, a middle-aged behavioral researcher Kürmann is given the opportunity to start his life over at any point he chooses and change his decisions and actions in matters both serious and mundane—He could save his marriage, become politically active, take better care of his health, or even change the color of his living room furniture. Despite his intention to apply the wisdom he has acquired with age, Kürmann finds himself inexorably trapped in the same decisions. Ultimately proving fatal, Kürmann’s life game interrogates how much of our own path is shaped by seemingly random factors and how much is in fact predetermined by our own limited, conditioned selves. The play’s central idea—that our lives are nothing but a self-conscious play with imaginary identities—is brilliantly captured in Biography ’s dramaturgical form, setting up a theatre rehearsal as the metaphor for the endless possibilities and variables of the game of life. Frisch’s own revised, dramatically heightened version of his play celebrates not only the theatre as a form of self-expression but also the human condition in all its potential and limitations as it showcases both comic and tragic outcomes that define all our lives.
121 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1967
5 people are currently reading
205 people want to read
About the author
Max Frisch
272 books780 followersMax Rudolph Frisch was born in 1911 in Zurich; the son of Franz Bruno Frisch (an architect) and Karolina Bettina Frisch (née Wildermuth). After studying at the Realgymnasium in Zurich, he enrolled at the University of Zurich in 1930 and began studying German literature, but had to abandon due to financial problems after the death of his father in 1932. Instead, he started working as a journalist and columnist for the Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ), one of the major newspapers in Switzerland. With the NZZ he would entertain a lifelong ambivalent love-hate relationship, for his own views were in stark contrast to the conservative views promulgated by this newspaper. In 1933 he travelled through eastern and south-eastern Europe, and in 1935 he visited Germany for the first time.
Some of the major themes in his work are the search or loss of one's identity; guilt and innocence (the spiritual crisis of the modern world after Nietzsche proclaimed that "God is dead"); technological omnipotence (the human belief that everything was possible and technology allowed humans to control everything) versus fate (especially in Homo faber); and also Switzerland's idealized self-image as a tolerant democracy based on consensus — criticizing that as illusion and portraying people (and especially the Swiss) as being scared by their own liberty and being preoccupied mainly with controlling every part of their life.
Max Frisch was a political man, and many of his works make reference to (or, as in Jonas und sein Veteran, are centered around) political issues of the time.
information was taken from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Frisch
Some of the major themes in his work are the search or loss of one's identity; guilt and innocence (the spiritual crisis of the modern world after Nietzsche proclaimed that "God is dead"); technological omnipotence (the human belief that everything was possible and technology allowed humans to control everything) versus fate (especially in Homo faber); and also Switzerland's idealized self-image as a tolerant democracy based on consensus — criticizing that as illusion and portraying people (and especially the Swiss) as being scared by their own liberty and being preoccupied mainly with controlling every part of their life.
Max Frisch was a political man, and many of his works make reference to (or, as in Jonas und sein Veteran, are centered around) political issues of the time.
information was taken from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Frisch
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
September 20, 2024
Biografie: Ein Spiel ist ein Theaterstück des Schweizer Schriftstellers Max Frisch, das 1967 entstand und am 1. Februar 1968 im Schauspielhaus Zürich uraufgeführt wurde. 1984 legte Frisch eine überarbeitete Neufassung vor. Das von Frisch als Komödie bezeichnete Stück greift eines seiner zentralen Themen auf: die Möglichkeit oder Unmöglichkeit des Menschen, seine Identität zu verändern.
Mit Biografie: Ein Spiel wandte sich Frisch von der Parabelform seiner Erfolgsstücke Biedermann und die Brandstifter und Andorra ab und postulierte eine "Dramaturgie der Permutation". Darin sollte nicht, wie im klassischen Theater, Sinn und Schicksal im Mittelpunkt stehen, sondern die Zufälligkeit von Ereignissen und die Möglichkeit ihrer Variation. Dennoch handelt auch dieses Stück gerade von der Unmöglichkeit seines Protagonisten, seinen Lebenslauf grundlegend zu verändern. Frisch empfand die Wirkung des Stücks im Nachhinein als zu fatalistisch und die Umsetzung seiner theoretischen Absichten als nicht geglückt.
Frisch stellte dem Stück ein Motto voran, ein Zitat des Werschinin aus Anton Tschechows Drei Schwestern: "Ich denke häufig; wie, wenn man das Leben noch einmal beginnen könnte, und zwar bei voller Erkenntnis? Wie, wenn das eine Leben, das man schon durchlebt hat, sozusagen ein erster Entwurf war, zu dem das zweite die Reinschrift bilden wird! Ein jeder von uns würde dann, so meine ich, bemüht sein, vor allem sich nicht selber zu wiederholen […]." [Ich find's immer wieder toll, wenn Autor*innen Epigraphen findet, die wie die Faust aufs Auge zum eigenen Werk passen.]
In dem Stück erhält der todkranke Verhaltensforscher Hannes Kürmann die Möglichkeit, sein Leben noch einmal neu zu beginnen. Ein Spielleiter führt ihn durch vergangene Schlüsselerlebnisse und lässt ihm die Wahl, sich mit dem Wissen um die Zukunft zu den Ereignissen und Menschen anders zu verhalten und dadurch seine Biografie zu verändern. Im Vordergrund steht Kürmanns Wunsch nach einer "Biografie ohne Antoinette", seine Frau, deren Ehe mit ihm nach sieben Jahren zerrüttet ist. So wiederholt Kürmann als erstes jenen Abend, an dem er zum Professor ernannt wurde und bei einer Feier Antoinette Stein kennenlernte. Doch wie er die Begegnung auch zu gestalten versucht, stets mündet sie in einer gemeinsamen Nacht des künftigen Paares. Der Spielleiter wirft Kürmann vor, er verhalte sich nicht zur Gegenwart, sondern zu einer Erinnerung und gerate deswegen jedes Mal in die gleiche Geschichte.
Kürmann weigert sich zu glauben, dass sein Leben nicht auch ganz anders hätte verlaufen können. Der Spielleiter führt ihn weiter zurück in seine Jugend. Auch dort gelingt Kürmann keine nachträgliche Korrektur seiner Biografie. Kürmanns Leben erreicht wieder den Abend seiner Begegnung mit Antoinette. Dieses Mal verlässt ihn Antoinette und scheint in der Lage, ein Leben ohne ihn zu führen. Erst dadurch begreift Kürmann, dass er seine Frau über all die Jahre unterschätzt hat. Nun will er sie nicht mehr gehen lassen. Der Spielleiter wiederholt die Begegnung, bis Antoinette an Kürmanns Seite bleibt. Sie heiraten erneut, und erneut gerät ihre Ehe in die Krise. Kürmann bemüht sich, seine Eifersucht zu zügeln, als Antoinette eine Affäre mit dem Architekten Egon Stahel beginnt.
Ein Jahr lang lebt Kürmann im Schatten seiner unabhängig gewordenen Frau. Dann wird er ins Krankenhaus eingeliefert und erfährt von seiner Krebserkrankung. Sein Zustand lässt Kürmann nur mehr die Wahl, wie er sich dazu verhält, dass er verloren ist. Der Spielleiter wendet sich statt seiner Antoinette zu und macht nun ihr das Angebot, ihre Biografie zu verändern. Noch einmal kehren beide zurück zum Abend ihrer ersten Begegnung. Im Gegensatz zu den vergeblichen Versuchen ihres Mannes verlässt Antoinette Kürmann, ohne zu zögern. Daraufhin verkündet ihm der Spielleiter, er sei nun frei und habe noch sieben Jahre zu leben.
Max Frisch selbst bezeichnete Biografie: Ein Spiel als Komödie. Das Stück weicht allerdings von der klassischen Komödienstruktur ab und entspricht eher dem Entwurf einer tragischen Komödie Friedrich Dürrenmatts, bei der die Handlung nicht auf einen positiven Ausgang zusteuert, sondern das Komödienhafte des Ablaufs betont, die Groteske und Paradoxie der Situation.
Ich möchte das Stück unglaublich gerne. Nachdem mich Biedermann und die Brandstifter bereits umgehauen hat (bis heute mein absolutes Lieblingswerk Frischs!) war ich zunächst skeptisch, ob mir seine anderen Werke ebenfalls gefallen würde, hatte ich in der Schule den Homo Faber doch so sehr gehasst. Aber turns out: Frisch is no one hit wonder. Ich fand das Stück eine bestimmte Art echt feministisch, vor allem in Hinblick darauf, wie Frisch mit dem Thema Femizide umgeht und mit Ehemännern, die es hassen, wenn ihre Frauen "ohne sie" ganz gut leben können. Das war der Aspekt, der mich am meisten gekriegt hat. Antoinette war generell eine richtige Queen ("Ich schlafe mit Männern, aber wenn es dazu kommt, bin ich jedesmal froh, dass ich nachher wieder mit mir allein bin, genau wie Sie, Hannes.")
Bitte beachten! Frisch benutzt in dem Stück zweimal das rassistische Wort "M*ulattin", um eine Afroamerikanerin, in die sich Kürmann verliebt, zu beschreiben.
Mit Biografie: Ein Spiel wandte sich Frisch von der Parabelform seiner Erfolgsstücke Biedermann und die Brandstifter und Andorra ab und postulierte eine "Dramaturgie der Permutation". Darin sollte nicht, wie im klassischen Theater, Sinn und Schicksal im Mittelpunkt stehen, sondern die Zufälligkeit von Ereignissen und die Möglichkeit ihrer Variation. Dennoch handelt auch dieses Stück gerade von der Unmöglichkeit seines Protagonisten, seinen Lebenslauf grundlegend zu verändern. Frisch empfand die Wirkung des Stücks im Nachhinein als zu fatalistisch und die Umsetzung seiner theoretischen Absichten als nicht geglückt.
Frisch stellte dem Stück ein Motto voran, ein Zitat des Werschinin aus Anton Tschechows Drei Schwestern: "Ich denke häufig; wie, wenn man das Leben noch einmal beginnen könnte, und zwar bei voller Erkenntnis? Wie, wenn das eine Leben, das man schon durchlebt hat, sozusagen ein erster Entwurf war, zu dem das zweite die Reinschrift bilden wird! Ein jeder von uns würde dann, so meine ich, bemüht sein, vor allem sich nicht selber zu wiederholen […]." [Ich find's immer wieder toll, wenn Autor*innen Epigraphen findet, die wie die Faust aufs Auge zum eigenen Werk passen.]
In dem Stück erhält der todkranke Verhaltensforscher Hannes Kürmann die Möglichkeit, sein Leben noch einmal neu zu beginnen. Ein Spielleiter führt ihn durch vergangene Schlüsselerlebnisse und lässt ihm die Wahl, sich mit dem Wissen um die Zukunft zu den Ereignissen und Menschen anders zu verhalten und dadurch seine Biografie zu verändern. Im Vordergrund steht Kürmanns Wunsch nach einer "Biografie ohne Antoinette", seine Frau, deren Ehe mit ihm nach sieben Jahren zerrüttet ist. So wiederholt Kürmann als erstes jenen Abend, an dem er zum Professor ernannt wurde und bei einer Feier Antoinette Stein kennenlernte. Doch wie er die Begegnung auch zu gestalten versucht, stets mündet sie in einer gemeinsamen Nacht des künftigen Paares. Der Spielleiter wirft Kürmann vor, er verhalte sich nicht zur Gegenwart, sondern zu einer Erinnerung und gerate deswegen jedes Mal in die gleiche Geschichte.
Kürmann weigert sich zu glauben, dass sein Leben nicht auch ganz anders hätte verlaufen können. Der Spielleiter führt ihn weiter zurück in seine Jugend. Auch dort gelingt Kürmann keine nachträgliche Korrektur seiner Biografie. Kürmanns Leben erreicht wieder den Abend seiner Begegnung mit Antoinette. Dieses Mal verlässt ihn Antoinette und scheint in der Lage, ein Leben ohne ihn zu führen. Erst dadurch begreift Kürmann, dass er seine Frau über all die Jahre unterschätzt hat. Nun will er sie nicht mehr gehen lassen. Der Spielleiter wiederholt die Begegnung, bis Antoinette an Kürmanns Seite bleibt. Sie heiraten erneut, und erneut gerät ihre Ehe in die Krise. Kürmann bemüht sich, seine Eifersucht zu zügeln, als Antoinette eine Affäre mit dem Architekten Egon Stahel beginnt.
Ein Jahr lang lebt Kürmann im Schatten seiner unabhängig gewordenen Frau. Dann wird er ins Krankenhaus eingeliefert und erfährt von seiner Krebserkrankung. Sein Zustand lässt Kürmann nur mehr die Wahl, wie er sich dazu verhält, dass er verloren ist. Der Spielleiter wendet sich statt seiner Antoinette zu und macht nun ihr das Angebot, ihre Biografie zu verändern. Noch einmal kehren beide zurück zum Abend ihrer ersten Begegnung. Im Gegensatz zu den vergeblichen Versuchen ihres Mannes verlässt Antoinette Kürmann, ohne zu zögern. Daraufhin verkündet ihm der Spielleiter, er sei nun frei und habe noch sieben Jahre zu leben.
Max Frisch selbst bezeichnete Biografie: Ein Spiel als Komödie. Das Stück weicht allerdings von der klassischen Komödienstruktur ab und entspricht eher dem Entwurf einer tragischen Komödie Friedrich Dürrenmatts, bei der die Handlung nicht auf einen positiven Ausgang zusteuert, sondern das Komödienhafte des Ablaufs betont, die Groteske und Paradoxie der Situation.
Ich möchte das Stück unglaublich gerne. Nachdem mich Biedermann und die Brandstifter bereits umgehauen hat (bis heute mein absolutes Lieblingswerk Frischs!) war ich zunächst skeptisch, ob mir seine anderen Werke ebenfalls gefallen würde, hatte ich in der Schule den Homo Faber doch so sehr gehasst. Aber turns out: Frisch is no one hit wonder. Ich fand das Stück eine bestimmte Art echt feministisch, vor allem in Hinblick darauf, wie Frisch mit dem Thema Femizide umgeht und mit Ehemännern, die es hassen, wenn ihre Frauen "ohne sie" ganz gut leben können. Das war der Aspekt, der mich am meisten gekriegt hat. Antoinette war generell eine richtige Queen ("Ich schlafe mit Männern, aber wenn es dazu kommt, bin ich jedesmal froh, dass ich nachher wieder mit mir allein bin, genau wie Sie, Hannes.")
Bitte beachten! Frisch benutzt in dem Stück zweimal das rassistische Wort "M*ulattin", um eine Afroamerikanerin, in die sich Kürmann verliebt, zu beschreiben.
March 17, 2013
Initially I gave this book five stars. Once I thought a bit more about its intentions and the writer's message, while consulting some reviews as well, I realised what Frisch also realised too late, only after publication. His main message, the fact that life is not the result of fatality, a higher force if you like, was undermined by his own doing. At the end, one cannot help but feel that the protagonist, no matter which version or road he ended up choosing, would always have arrived on the same spot. This must have haunted Frisch - to a degree that he did not write another play for 14 years and re-wrote this one in 1984, curiously with little changes regarding this mistake.
But, ultimately, this detail does not change my mind about the essence of the book: it is wonderfully entertaining and the deep thoughts about why our lives turn out the way they do are more than fascinating. Do you think you could or would change your choices if you could relive your life? Most people would scream "yes!" without hesitation, so did the protagonist. But being actually faced by the same situations and taking different decisions means accepting the resonsibility of the consequences deriving thereof. Frisch shows, in a fantastic way, that the queuing up of one's changeable coincidences in life does not define one's biography, but it is in fact one's attitude, one's personality regarding those coincidences that do. In this game only variations of one's behaviour are possible, but personalities cannot be changed, meaning that the game is entirely based on the already lived, of which the protagonist is not capable to let go. The fact that the protagonist's life seemed predefined by fate is, forgive me the pun, a fatal mistake that blemishes this otherwise amazing and thought-provoking book, in the true tradition of Max Frisch.
But, ultimately, this detail does not change my mind about the essence of the book: it is wonderfully entertaining and the deep thoughts about why our lives turn out the way they do are more than fascinating. Do you think you could or would change your choices if you could relive your life? Most people would scream "yes!" without hesitation, so did the protagonist. But being actually faced by the same situations and taking different decisions means accepting the resonsibility of the consequences deriving thereof. Frisch shows, in a fantastic way, that the queuing up of one's changeable coincidences in life does not define one's biography, but it is in fact one's attitude, one's personality regarding those coincidences that do. In this game only variations of one's behaviour are possible, but personalities cannot be changed, meaning that the game is entirely based on the already lived, of which the protagonist is not capable to let go. The fact that the protagonist's life seemed predefined by fate is, forgive me the pun, a fatal mistake that blemishes this otherwise amazing and thought-provoking book, in the true tradition of Max Frisch.
April 5, 2017
Başkaları hayatlarımızı bir anda değiştirebilir. Fakat kendimiz tereddüt içindeyizdir kararlarımızda, benliğe gelebilecek zararlardan ölesiye korkarız. Max Frisch'ten ilginç bir deneysel oyun.
October 27, 2025
قصة حياة هو عمل أدبي فلسفي ، يستكشف فيه الكاتب هوية الإنسان، وذاكرته، وكيف يصوغ الماضي حاضرنا.. يعتمد الكاتب أسلوب الحوار الداخلي والسرد الذاتي، ليطرح أسئلة وجودية حول وعي الاختيار، الندم، والحرية الشخصية..
يقدّم الكتاب نظرة introspektive (تأملية) تجعل القارئ يراجع حياته، كأنه يقف على خشبة مسرح وجوده متأملًا ما كان يمكن أن يكون لو كان الاختيار في الماضي مختلف .!
_______________
// اقتباسات من الكتاب:
لو أتيح لك أن تبدأ حياتك من جديد، هل ستعرف تمامًا ما ينبغي عليك أن تغيّره !؟
________________
كل ما في الأمر أنني أرفض أن نُضفي على كل حدث معنى ليس له، لا لسبب إلا لأنه حدث..
و أصبح تاريخا ليس من الممكن أن تمنع حدوثه.
يقدّم الكتاب نظرة introspektive (تأملية) تجعل القارئ يراجع حياته، كأنه يقف على خشبة مسرح وجوده متأملًا ما كان يمكن أن يكون لو كان الاختيار في الماضي مختلف .!
_______________
// اقتباسات من الكتاب:
لو أتيح لك أن تبدأ حياتك من جديد، هل ستعرف تمامًا ما ينبغي عليك أن تغيّره !؟
________________
كل ما في الأمر أنني أرفض أن نُضفي على كل حدث معنى ليس له، لا لسبب إلا لأنه حدث..
و أصبح تاريخا ليس من الممكن أن تمنع حدوثه.
January 7, 2011
فكرة المسرحية غاية فى الإبتكار : البطل يتذكر أحداث حياته بمساعدة "حامل السجل" الذى يقرأ ما دونه البطل من السجل الذى أمامه ويتم تمثيل الموقف على المسرح داخل المسرح. وعند بعض المواقف يحاول البطل تغيير إختياراته بحيث يغير مجرى حياته عند هذه النقطة...وفى هذه الحالة يتوقف التمثيل و"يعود الزمن إلى الوراء" ويعيد الممثلين جمل الحوار حتى النقطة التى يريد تغييرها. وبذلك نجد موقف واحد يتم تمثيله عدة مرات بأكثر من صيغة وأكثر من نهاية. الفكرة شيقة للغاية: مسرح داخل المسرح - الممثل هو بطل المسرحية وفى نفس الوقت يتناقش مع شخص ما طوال الوقت حول الإختيارات التى قام بها فى حياته - تداخل الماضى والحاضر وربما المستقبل أيضا. ولكنى وجدت المسرحية صعبة القراءة وغير مفهومة إلى حد ما فى بعض المواقف. ربما تحتاج إلى تركيز اكبر أو خيال أكثر. وأعتقد أن مشاهدتها على المسرح ستكون أكثر إمتاعا
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 21, 2023
چقدر این آنتوانت نجابت به خرج داد یک صحنه رو ده دفعه بازی کرد؛ خب آقای منشی، حق انتخاب رو به لایقش بده! مادربزرگ من همیشه میگفت کار را باید به دست کاردان سپرد.
شما مترجم نازنازی، دیگه ترجمه نمایشنامه هم کاری داره که درست درنیاوردی؟خاک تو سر انتشارات قطره
شما مترجم نازنازی، دیگه ترجمه نمایشنامه هم کاری داره که درست درنیاوردی؟خاک تو سر انتشارات قطره
July 31, 2025
Biography: A Game by Max Frisch
Spoiler alert- Since I was not thrilled by this work, it is very likely that I will digress and write much more about impressions caused by the book and less, if at all about Biography itself.
This is a rather strange story, but I should have expected something out of the ordinary from the author of I Am Not Stiller.
I have found Stiller on a list of books to read, or in a collection of essays on books by Mario Vargas Llosa- I can’t remember which. Anyhow, the book was mentioned in favorable terms and this made me try to read it. I gave it a try, but it was definitely not my cup of tea.
This morning, when I listened to the adaptation of Biography: A Game for the National Radio, I thought the name Frisch sounded familiar, but was not sure where to place it. This goes to prove the importance of having some notes and a kind of “personal archive „somewhere- goodreads, blog….because I can go and check a name there. Since my previous experience with a work of Frisch was forgettable…I did not recall him.
That being said, the strangeness of the writing did sound familiar and slowly I came to realize that the author might have created other similar acclaimed creations, which had found in me a reluctant reader.
Biography: A Game is indeed playing with time and fate.
Somehow the hero- behavioral researcher Kurman has the chance to start again and change his life.
So far, the premise is interesting and not very usual. Yes we have time travel in other books – Wells comes to mind- but from what I know, other authors are careful to let events take their proper course. The heroes are supposed to avoid affecting the future, there is even a rule
- Don’t be evil and change events that need to happen from here on…
Something like that, if not in these words.
Frisch takes a different approach, which a dedicated reader would enjoy. The way I read though is not good for the appreciation of many works. I read about two hours every morning, from an audio book or a play- more likely a play recently. This is while I prepare for, during and after jogging with my dogs. I do not give my full attention to the work and I miss some parts. If it is difficult, not my genre then I miss most of it.
Biography: A Game made me think about my own options. My life could have been very different.
For instance- I have graduated Geophysics, but worked in different fields- travel business and AT&T. With the oil business doing so well in the past fifteen years, I could have made $ 20,000 a month and travel and work in Africa, maybe the tar sands of Canada. Better life? Who knows?
Then I met a Miss Romania who changed my life. Totally.
For the better? In some ways, I guess.
Financially though, it was a disaster. There was no cable business in Romania, and I went to Belgium to talk with some people doing exactly that. But instead of focusing on cable, my mind and heart were elsewhere. I was calling home all the time and missing every business opportunity presented.
Although I did not warm to Biography: A Game, it made me think about my own options in crucial moments and I can say that I empathize with Kurman-
It is difficult to pick and choose one change and keep all the rest identical. For instance, with a different career or romantic decisions, I would not have Hannah.
Sometimes she does not seem to appreciate me all that much, but is this a reason to go back in time and create “another”?
Well, let me think about it.
Thinking of some final conclusion on the play, I realize that it does have strong points, even the plot can keep you guessing: there is even a murder, humor and unexpected surprises. When a baby comes on the scene, one is surprised- how can it be, they just quarreled. But this is because we keep jumping over the years, back and forth. That is fun at times, albeit it was tiresome at one point.
I am thinking three or four stars; four not because I liked it, but I guess that may be its worth, beyond and above what my experience was.
Spoiler alert- Since I was not thrilled by this work, it is very likely that I will digress and write much more about impressions caused by the book and less, if at all about Biography itself.
This is a rather strange story, but I should have expected something out of the ordinary from the author of I Am Not Stiller.
I have found Stiller on a list of books to read, or in a collection of essays on books by Mario Vargas Llosa- I can’t remember which. Anyhow, the book was mentioned in favorable terms and this made me try to read it. I gave it a try, but it was definitely not my cup of tea.
This morning, when I listened to the adaptation of Biography: A Game for the National Radio, I thought the name Frisch sounded familiar, but was not sure where to place it. This goes to prove the importance of having some notes and a kind of “personal archive „somewhere- goodreads, blog….because I can go and check a name there. Since my previous experience with a work of Frisch was forgettable…I did not recall him.
That being said, the strangeness of the writing did sound familiar and slowly I came to realize that the author might have created other similar acclaimed creations, which had found in me a reluctant reader.
Biography: A Game is indeed playing with time and fate.
Somehow the hero- behavioral researcher Kurman has the chance to start again and change his life.
So far, the premise is interesting and not very usual. Yes we have time travel in other books – Wells comes to mind- but from what I know, other authors are careful to let events take their proper course. The heroes are supposed to avoid affecting the future, there is even a rule
- Don’t be evil and change events that need to happen from here on…
Something like that, if not in these words.
Frisch takes a different approach, which a dedicated reader would enjoy. The way I read though is not good for the appreciation of many works. I read about two hours every morning, from an audio book or a play- more likely a play recently. This is while I prepare for, during and after jogging with my dogs. I do not give my full attention to the work and I miss some parts. If it is difficult, not my genre then I miss most of it.
Biography: A Game made me think about my own options. My life could have been very different.
For instance- I have graduated Geophysics, but worked in different fields- travel business and AT&T. With the oil business doing so well in the past fifteen years, I could have made $ 20,000 a month and travel and work in Africa, maybe the tar sands of Canada. Better life? Who knows?
Then I met a Miss Romania who changed my life. Totally.
For the better? In some ways, I guess.
Financially though, it was a disaster. There was no cable business in Romania, and I went to Belgium to talk with some people doing exactly that. But instead of focusing on cable, my mind and heart were elsewhere. I was calling home all the time and missing every business opportunity presented.
Although I did not warm to Biography: A Game, it made me think about my own options in crucial moments and I can say that I empathize with Kurman-
It is difficult to pick and choose one change and keep all the rest identical. For instance, with a different career or romantic decisions, I would not have Hannah.
Sometimes she does not seem to appreciate me all that much, but is this a reason to go back in time and create “another”?
Well, let me think about it.
Thinking of some final conclusion on the play, I realize that it does have strong points, even the plot can keep you guessing: there is even a murder, humor and unexpected surprises. When a baby comes on the scene, one is surprised- how can it be, they just quarreled. But this is because we keep jumping over the years, back and forth. That is fun at times, albeit it was tiresome at one point.
I am thinking three or four stars; four not because I liked it, but I guess that may be its worth, beyond and above what my experience was.
March 23, 2023
What would you do if you had the choice to do it all over again, would you change anything or would you leave it? Kürmann is faced with this exact question by the game master and together with assistants they replay every situation the way Kürmann desires.
What I really liked about the book is that it is refreshing and funny, especially at places where Kürmann is confused by a situation that did not turn out the way he wanted it to. It is also quite fun to see a scene played out over and over again and look how the event changes and what the repercussions of his new decisions are. One would believe that that would make the story boring but actually the contrary is the case, it is what gives the story tension.
However, the reason why I only give this book 4 Stars is because I thought the ending was a bit rushed and out of nowhere. Especially, because I thought it went against the books message: Life is going to turn out the same no matter what we do.
But after reading Frisch's "Schillerpreisrede" I realised that I actually misunderstood the message. Although I understand why the ending had to be the way it is, I decided that I would not change my rating. Because it still does not really sit right with me.
What I really liked about the book is that it is refreshing and funny, especially at places where Kürmann is confused by a situation that did not turn out the way he wanted it to. It is also quite fun to see a scene played out over and over again and look how the event changes and what the repercussions of his new decisions are. One would believe that that would make the story boring but actually the contrary is the case, it is what gives the story tension.
However, the reason why I only give this book 4 Stars is because I thought the ending was a bit rushed and out of nowhere. Especially, because I thought it went against the books message: Life is going to turn out the same no matter what we do.
But after reading Frisch's "Schillerpreisrede" I realised that I actually misunderstood the message. Although I understand why the ending had to be the way it is, I decided that I would not change my rating. Because it still does not really sit right with me.
May 12, 2024
Geçmişi, insanın bencilliğinin, benliğinin oluşturduğunu, insanın ancak bilinmeze karar verme gücünün olduğunu ve şimdide yaşamayanın döngüye mahsur kaldığını eğlenceli bir dille anlatıyor Max Frisch.
"Şurada, yaşama yeniden başlayacak olsanız neyi değiştireceğinizi bildiğinizi söylemiştiniz Bay Kürmann."
"Seçebilirsiniz Bay Kürmann."
"Şurada, yaşama yeniden başlayacak olsanız neyi değiştireceğinizi bildiğinizi söylemiştiniz Bay Kürmann."
"Seçebilirsiniz Bay Kürmann."
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 2, 2018
გაგიკვირდებათ, და 5 ⭐
September 16, 2021
Un kurš gan no mums nav domājis par to, kā mainītos dzīve, ja tajā konkrētajā vienā mirklī mēs būtu rīkojušies savādāk. Bet vai tas nozīmē, ka būtu labāk? Par to arī šī luga.
February 10, 2022
"Sehen Sie: Sie verhalten sich nicht zur Gegenwart, sondern zu einer Erinnerung. Das ist es. Sie meinen die Zukunft schon zu kennen durch ihre Erfahrung. Drum wird es jedesmal dieselbe Geschichte"
February 9, 2023
didn't like it
August 28, 2023
لما يكون عندك فرصة تعيد حياتك من جديد من عند نقطة معينة تختارها علي كيفك
هذا هو موضوع المسرحية
اتعملت أفلام ومسلسلات كتير اخرها مسلسل (الصفارة).
هذا هو موضوع المسرحية
اتعملت أفلام ومسلسلات كتير اخرها مسلسل (الصفارة).
June 12, 2024
Was also kann eine Biografie überhaupt besagen?♟️
Read
December 21, 2025Réflexion didactique sur la destinée et le choix, "vous avez le choix monsieur Kūrmann" . Vraiment ? mais nest il pas plus intéressant de se demander "que sommes nous en dehors de notre biographie"?
June 29, 2025
Insgesamt bietet sich hier ein provozierender und ungelungener Überblick über das Thema identität sowie ein Besonderer Gesicht auf die persönliche schuld.
April 10, 2012
I was expecting something completly different when I started reading this book. I loved it. It's short and I like how Frisch tries to change someone's life in this novel and at the end the protagonist doesn't want to change anything but someone else does it for him. So you never know what life has to offer and that's what I love about this book.
November 6, 2007
این نمایش نامه ی ماکس فریش با عنوان "بیوگرافی، یک بازی" توسط الف شین به فارسی ترجمه شده و انتشارات پویا در سال 1351 آن را منتشر کرده است.
October 28, 2008
this is my most adored topic in literature...what if i could do it all over again......would anything improve? would things be worse? would it just be a farce?
May 16, 2013
Meh. I stopped liking Max Frisch a year ago or so...
June 17, 2025
Wild: I gave this 2 stars in 2014; prob the breakup talking, but it's def a 4, 4.5 rn. Lol.
No memory whatsoever of reading this.
No memory whatsoever of reading this.
October 2, 2017
Il teatro come metafora della riconsiderazione di un’esistenza, della possibilità di restare indefinitamente nella dimensione della “prova”. Senza che sia al tempo stesso possibile uscire dai propri errori. Ottimo testo, al solito grande capacità di Frisch di analizzare le umane debolezze.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews