Through the Leaves and Other Plays

by Franz Xaver Kroetz, Roger Downey (Translator)

Like Sam Shepard - the American playwright whose career his most nearly resembles - Franz Xaver Kroetz is a controversial figure whose works have helped reshape world drama over the last two decades. His unsparing portraits of life in Germany's lower middle class redefine the notion of realism on the stage.
The only Kroetz collection available in English, this volume Through the Leaves, about a female butcher and her laborer lover; The Nest, about a worker who inadvertently poisons a lake and, consequently, injures his infant son; and Mensch Meier, about a jittery, imaginative Munich assembly-line worker, his vague, housebound wife and their silently observant teenage son.

Genres: Plays

162 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 1992

Reviews

[Lubby · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve only just recently struck up a sense of familiarity with Kroetz thanks to Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s film adaptation of Kroetz’s play “Wildwechsel” (translated as “Jail Bait”). Thankfully, the local library had a copy of three translated works by Kroetz, to my surprise.

“Through the Leaves” is short and sweet, detailing the kind of casually abusive heterosexual relationship that’s not uncommon in stressed working-class environments. I really liked Martha’s character as someone lonely, kind, and independent who can’t seem to do better for herself on behalf of her own sense of comfort. There are lots of people like Martha out there, and they break my heart — I want what’s best for them, but that requires change on the part of the individual.

“The Nest” was perhaps my favorite of the three plays found in this edition, because it’s straightforward and likely has the best mass appeal of the three, especially in the scene where Martha and Kurt tally up their new expenses since a baby’s on the way. I do like Kroetz’s forward-thinking here, evident in his use of environmental harm being the catalyst for interpersonal tragedy. “The Nest” is truly a drama for the working family.

“Mensch Meier” was the most cinematic of the three plays, and is also the lengthiest of the three included in this volume. I’d love to play a role in bringing this one to life on the big screen one day, maybe. The main conflict here is Otto’s immaturity — he possesses the wonderment of a child, but therefore also lacks the emotional maturity of an adult, let alone the head of a family. I found this play in particular to be especially real, its depiction of a deteriorating family being all at once relatable despite temporal and cultural differences. A hard-hitting play if you’ve ever been forced to help raise your own parents.

In short, I’m glad to have a few more of Kroetz’s works under my belt! I can’t believe that every woman living in 70s Germany was named Martha, that’s honestly insane.

[Monika · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this playwright!

[Thomas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Leaden.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a brilliant play. Simple and true

[Chambers Stevens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kroetz is an extraordinary German playwright.
His main theme is distrust of language.
I directed the American premiere of his play Farmyard.

[Amina · Rating 5 out of 5]

His plays are exquisite.