Franz Xaver Kroetz

Franz Xaver Kroetz
Born (1946-02-25) 25 February 1946 (age 78)
Munich, Allied-Occupied Germany
OccupationPlaywright
Actor
Film director
Notable works
  • Persistent (1971)
  • Farmyard (1971)
  • Ghost Train (1971)
  • Request Concert (1971)
  • Upper Austria (1972)
  • The Nest (1974)
  • Through the Leaves (1976)
  • Tom Fool (1978)

Franz Xaver Kroetz (German: [fʁant͡s ˈksaː.vɐ kʁœt͡s] ⓘ; born 25 February 1946) is a German author, playwright,[1] actor[2] and film director. He achieved great success beginning in the early 1970s. Persistent, Farmyard, and Request Concert, all written in 1971, are some of the works conventionally associated with Kroetz.

Kroetz is part of a generation of playwrights who modified the critical folk-piece, emphasizing in his works of the early 1970s the underside of West Germany's affluence through realistic portrayals of the lives of the poor. He later began writing for television, which led to a wider audience. His more analytical, Brecht-influenced plays were generally not well-received, though Upper Austria (1972) and The Nest (1974) achieved critical and commercial success. Some later works of social realism like Through the Leaves (1976) and Tom Fool (1978) are also highly regarded.

Kroetz's plays have been translated and performed internationally. Simon Stephens argued in 2016, "Kroetz was identifying how poverty can give rise to brutality, to cynicism, despair and fear. His plays are as resonant now as they've ever been."[3]

  1. ^ Gussow, Mel (30 December 1982). "THE STAGE: MONODRAMA BY KROETZ". New York Times. Retrieved 4 March 2011.
  2. ^ Ranft, Wolfgang (25 February 2011). "Schauspieler und Autor Franz Xaver Kroetz feiert auf Teneriffa seinen 65". Bild (in German). Retrieved 4 March 2011.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference FT was invoked but never defined (see the help page).