Maestros Antiguos : Comedia

Thomas Bernhard (1931-1989) was a poet, novelist, and playwright, as well as an energetic and eloquent polemicist. His work, which combines elements of the absurd, existentialism, and biting farce, is among the most admired in contemporary literature, both for the immense originality of his style and for his unwavering critique of the imposture and moral ambiguity of his contemporaries. In "Old Masters" (1985), his last novel, Bernhard offers a sharp reflection on old age, as well as a kind of indictment of the entirety of art, its supposed rules, and its presumed virtues. In perfect harmony with the rest of his work, and guided by the verbal labyrinth created by his obsessive prose, he writes here a brilliant example of narrative artifice and a new diatribe against the State and a frivolous society that delights in satire.