The Bird Lovers (Sun & Moon Classics) [Paperback]

Jens Bjrneboe (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2000 | Series: Sun & Moon Classics (Book 43)

drama, Norway, tr Fred Wasser

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Bjorneboe is a relatively unknown playwright outside Europe. This first English translation of his work offers a bitterly dark view of humanity. As the translator asks in his introduction, "What price does Justice demand for crimes committed in the name of State?" The plot concerns two German bird-watching tourists who are recognized by local Italian bird hunters as former Nazi officers. A plan to avenge their crimes leads to a mock trial, with a priest appointed to defend the Germans, cataloging heinous acts under different authorities. The well-argued appeal of acting under orders fails, but a second appeal of economic rationale succeeds: the former officers are released because as tourists they provide economic benefits to the villagers. Highly recommended for most drama collections.
J. Sara Paulk, Satilla Regional Lib., Douglas, Ga.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Sun & Moon Press; 1st English Language Ed edition (October 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1557131465
• ISBN-13: 978-1557131461
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,999,521 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Savage, prophetic satire on economic imperialism, March 22, 2000

By 

Esther Murer (US) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Bird Lovers (Sun & Moon Classics) (Paperback)

A group of Germans want to turn a small Italian village into a tourist haven for birdwatchers. This would require the natives to give up their habit of hunting and eating songbirds. Meanwhile the the natives--who were former partisans during World War II--recognize some of the Germans as their old Nazi oppressors. Bjorneboe makes surrealistic use of this situation to examine the dynamics of economic globalization in a way which hits even harder today than when the play first appeared in 1966. <I>The Bird Lovers</I> is that rara avis, a musical with a totally original plot. It is to be regretted that the translator did not attempt metrical translations of the songs, leaving us without a stageable version of a play which richly deserves to be known in the English-speaking world.

4.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant from Bjørneboe., October 25, 2002

By 

Librarian_Triumphant (UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Bird Lovers (Sun & Moon Classics) (Paperback)

Last year my class and I put up a play as a special school assignment for the Norwegian subject. We chose "The Bird-Lovers". I won't pretend that it's an easy play, because then I would be lying... but it's a play that becomes a part of you, it makes you think.

As you travel to the small Italian village in the district of Torre Rosse you get to know the hunters and the bird-lovers You meet Caruso, Rosa, Piccolino, Cavalli, Marco, Fidele and Sandro. They are the partsans who fought against the Germans during the war, and who suffered because of it. Thus when the German bird-lovers come to form a paradise for the birds they do what they can to stop them and bring the old judge to justice.

It's a play about capitalism, racism, injustice and women's rights, and frankly it is one of the finest plays ever written. If you're in need of quotations to use of any occasion this is the play. Any remark'll do. And the poetry is amazing. I guess "Song to Hiroshima" is the most known one but the rest is great as well.

As I said. It is a great play and we really enjoyed putting it on. It gave us something, still 30/40 years after it was written. Enjoy.

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Review on Jens Bjorneboe., January 14, 1996

By A Customer

This review is from: The Bird Lovers (Sun & Moon Classics) (Paperback)

This is one of the best writers in the world, and this is a
very good play - It is about killing birds.
I think the writer is finish or maybe form Holland