A play entitled Marianne, based on the novel The Left-Handed Woman by the Austrian author and film director Peter Handke, will be performed for two nights in Cairo and Alexandria.

The play, adapted into Arabic, will be performed by the theatre troupe Lighting Group and directed by Sherif Hamdy.

“The aim is to present contemporary Austrian literature in an accessible and entertaining way, especially to non-German speaking Egyptians,” said Rene-Paul Amry, the Director of the Austrian Cultural Forum.

Peter Handke is one of the most important contemporary authors. He has already received many awards, amongst them the Georg-Büchner-Award, the most important German literature prize. His books mostly deal with individual self-finding processes and reflections about writing.

He distinguishes himself through his critical attitude concerning literature and linguistics.

His novel The Left-Handed Woman, which was turned into a film in 1978 and was directed by Handke, revolves around a woman named Marianne who leaves her husband to live alone with her son. After the initial feeling of freedom, she starts becoming isolated from the world.

The play will be performed on 18 November at 5pm in Gezira Youth Centre in Cairo and on 21 November at 8pm at Ibdaa Centre, 1 Tariq El-Horeyya, in Alexandria.