An Affinity for Philosophy: The Absurdoid Theatre of Géza Páskándi

Abstract

Géza Páskándi (1933–5) coined the term “absurdoid” in order to distinguish his plays from the absurd plays of the west. “In the absurdoid the human being is not simply a blind tool of the impossible situation but … himself is its accomplice,” he argued (Esszék 99). His four plays discussed here, Todogar Jaur Kvárna, No Conductor, The Line, and The Avenger, The Gatekeeper, or It Is Requested That You Wipe Your Feet combine the fantastic with linguistic invention, emotional appeal, and clear moral standards. Through his unique form of absurd theatre, Páskándi courageously attacks the baneful living conditions, omnipresent double-think, and widespread complicity occasioned by brutal dictatorships, especially that of Nicolae Ceauşescu, which he experienced first-hand in his native Transylvania, now part of Romania.