Arnon Grunberg

Unmasking illusions

The leading actor

A group of students in Leiden adapted my novel “The Asylum Seeker” for the theatre. Yesterday evening they performed for the last time.
The leading actor is also one of my students. He turned out to be a talented actor.
The play itself was uncannily good.
For the author himself it remains a strange experience to be confronted with his own words.
Some of the dialogues that worked well in the novel were less effective on stage.
A scene that in my memory was more tragic than comic made me laugh out loud.
Afterwards I was asked the question if unmasking illusions isn’t an illusion as well.