Yasmina Reza
Yasmina Reza (1959- )
God of Carnage
French
Contemporary Literature
Yasmine Reza is a French dramatist, novelist and actress known primarily for her brief satiric plays. Born in Paris, she is the daughter of Jewish parents; her father was an Iranian engineer, and her mother a violinist born in Budapest. Reza studied at the University of Paris but dropped out to become an actress. Her first play, Conversations après un enterrement (Conversations After a Burial), produced in 1986, won a Molière Award, as did her second play, La Traversèe de l’hiver (Winter Crossing) in 1989.
Reza’s breakout play, Art, (1994), depicts three friends arguing over a purported work of modern art that is actually a blank canvas. The play won Moliere awards for best author, play, and production; a Laurence Olivier award for best comedy, and a Tony for best play. Reza has also published novels, a biography of Nicolas Sarkozy, and a stage adaptation of Kafka’s Metamorphosis.
God of Carnage (2006) depicts two couples meeting to discuss a fight between their children. Over the course of the evening, as they discuss the conflict in supposedly “civilized” terms, the adults become increasingly childish, and the evening eventually devolves into chaos. The play won a Laurence Olivier award in 2008 and a Tony for best play the following year.
Consider while reading:
- How effective is the play in depicting different sides of the same story?
- Compare Reza’s play and her use of satire with other satirical works you have read this semester.
- Although the original play is written in French and set in Paris, why do you think it has become popular worldwide? Which themes in the play strike you as universal?
Written by Anita Turlington