European Man. A chronicle
In ‘European Man. A chronicle’, Carl von Winckelmann looks back at his forefathers and focuses on the next generation, his daughter. What do parents hand down? What do you do with that legacy? And what do you yourself pass on? Now that the narrator is a father, those questions have become increasingly powerful.
In a layered narrative, Von Winckelmann disentangles his family history and brings stories, some never before told, to life. The text switches between different layers of time and different perspectives, and connects family events with the larger history of the past 150 years: colonialism, slavery, the Second World War, nationalism and migration.
Its precisely composed language makes this extremely personal text feel like a universal, urgent story that deserves to be widely read and performed.Jury of the Toneelschrijfprijs 2025
In conversations with his daughter, his father and others, including an official who serves on a commission for war victims, Von Winckelmann digs deeper and deeper into the essence of a colonial heritage and a bi-cultural identity. In this meticulously composed , authentic and poetic play, he challenges the audience to contemplate their own place in the world.
