Publisher's Synopsis
For the Good of the Nation is a satire targeting the nationalist elite in Slovenia during the turn of the Twentieth Century. The play depicts a political battle between two parties competing to attract the support of a rich donor. For the Good of the Nation investigates complex relations between political candidates, journalists, and bureaucrats.
Written in 1901 by Slovenia's most celebrated playwright, Ivan Cankar, For the Good of the Nation, exposes political corruption, moral degradation of society, and the fight for power. Ivan Cankar, playwright, essayist, poet and political activist, is regarded as the greatest writer in the Slovenian language. His work has been compared with the work of Henrik Ibsen, Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, Franz Kafka, and James Joyce. He is considered the father of modern Slovenian theatre and has had a major influence on almost all Slovenian playwrights thereafter. His playwriting opus consists of 7 full length plays, all featuring a large cast, complex themes, and thoughtful depictions of socioeconomic and political nuances within Slovenian society. To this day, Cankar's plays are still among the most popular dramatic works in Slovenian theatres. Cankar's work is culturally specific but carries ideas that transcend place and time. His essays, poems, and prose have been translated into more than 10 languages to date.
