Maerz, an Artist's Life

Wrecked by the demands of meritocracy, the poet Alexander Maerz is declared insane and locked away in a mental asylum. But the story of his life and his suffering, presented by Kipphardt with detailed knowledge, transforms into a critical reflection of society, which unsettles this human being. Looking at the dissenter and his desperate attempt to insist on his Self, hones the view for what is questionable about the so-called Normal. To engage with the lunatic, and gradually understanding his view of the world provokes the question: who, in the end, is "insane", as in removed from the essential desire for a humanitarian, unalienated existence. Kipphardt had used the Maerz theme before, for a movie and a novel; he refers to the play as "the most determined manifestation of the subject".