Egon Wolff (April 13, 1926 – November 2, 2016) was a Chilean playwright and author. Born in

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's central valley and is the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Regi ...

, he was educated in Chile and the United States.

Early life

Egon Wolff was born into a middle-class family of German immigrants, to parents who espoused traditional family values and encouraged traditional work ethics. During his childhood Wolff suffered periods of ill health and turned to reading; he read the classics of world literature to escape the boredom of being sick and bedridden. At the age of 16 Wolff produced his first novel, ''El Ocaso'' (Sunset). Wolff studied and graduated in

chemical engineering Chemical engineering is an engineering field which deals with the study of the operation and design of chemical plants as well as methods of improving production. Chemical engineers develop economical commercial processes to convert raw materials ...

from the Universidad Catolica de Chile (Catholic University of Santiago) and subsequently studied performing arts at

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

in the United States.

Chilean theatre

The formation of the ''Teatro Experimental de la

Universidad de Chile The University of Chile () is a public research university in Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the co ...

'' (Experimental Theatre of the University of Chile) in 1941, followed by the founding of the ''Teatro del Ensayo de la Universidad Catolica'' (TEUC) (Theatre Actor Studio of the Catholic University) in 1943 created a qualitative change in Chilean theatre. Like many of his contemporaries in the 1950s his career begins to take form within this University theatre; he begins to develop a career with a more technical and artistic rigor which – unlike previous commercial theatre – led as much to the production of theatre as it did to the creation of new theatre groups.

Method and themes

Wolff had a unique and expressive literary style full of patterns, and unexpected twists and turns. Often the first scene in a play is like the last, creating a continuous and complete cycle. Though his themes are universal, his style and work are full of references to aspects of Chilean culture. He was famous for the use of the

fourth wall The fourth wall is a performance dramatic convention, convention in which an invisible, imaginary wall separates actors from the audience. While the audience can see through this "wall", the convention assumes the actors act as if they cannot. ...

. Wolff's work gravitates towards social neo-realism in which he portrays the seemingly complex behavior and conflicts between individual as ultimately yielding to forces in their environment. Consequently, his work harbors

social Social organisms, including human(s), live collectively in interacting populations. This interaction is considered social whether they are aware of it or not, and whether the exchange is voluntary or not. Etymology The word "social" derives fro ...

political Politics () is the set of activities that are associated with decision-making, making decisions in social group, groups, or other forms of power (social and political), power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of Social sta ...

and

existential Existentialism is a family of philosophical views and inquiry that explore the human individual's struggle to lead an authentic life despite the apparent absurdity or incomprehensibility of existence. In examining meaning, purpose, and value ...

themes such as conflict between

social classes A social class or social stratum is a grouping of people into a set of hierarchical social categories, the most common being the working class and the capitalist class. Membership of a social class can for example be dependent on education, ...

and between different generation groups; the moral decay and the decadence of certain social groups. His work also touches on the negative effects social conventions can have on the existence of individuals. In some works Wolff presents two

social groups In the social sciences, a social group is defined as two or more people who interact with one another, share similar characteristics, and collectively have a sense of unity. Regardless, social groups come in a myriad of sizes and varieties. Fo ...

that have ideas and life situations that are opposed and in struggle with each other, and by the end of work only one of these tends to prevail. He writes about the human condition the destructive nature of social forces which at times blends with

magical realism Magical realism, magic realism, or marvelous realism is a style or genre of fiction and art that presents a realistic view of the world while incorporating magical elements, often blurring the lines between speculation and reality. ''Magical rea ...

that allows situations to alternate between reality and

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures. The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...

. In one of his most famous works, ''Pareja de trapos'' (Pair of rags), the two protagonists represent the pride and prejudice of the

aristocracy Aristocracy (; ) is a form of government that places power in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocracy (class), aristocrats. Across Europe, the aristocracy exercised immense Economy, economic, Politics, political, and soc ...

and the opportunism of the

middle class The middle class refers to a class of people in the middle of a social hierarchy, often defined by occupation, income, education, or social status. The term has historically been associated with modernity, capitalism and political debate. C ...

es which in order to climb proves itself capable of anything, including immoral or criminal acts. In ''Los Invasores'' (The invaders) a luxurious residence is invaded and occupied by a group of homeless beggars in this work the audience is unable to fully determine if the event is a real or merely a “nightmare”. Through this thematic medium Wolff produces a profound critique of society.

Legacy

The work of Egon Wolff has been produced in 29 countries and translated into 19 different languages. After the death of his wife in an automobile accident in 1995 Wolff stopped working for about five years.

Academic career and distinctions

He was a professor of the Theatre School of the

Catholic University of Chile The Pontifical Catholic University of Chile (UC Chile; ) is a traditional private university based in Santiago, Chile. It is one of the thirteen Catholic universities existing in Chilean university system and one of the two pontifical univers ...

from 1979. He earned the ''Premio Municipal de Teatro'' (Municipal Theatre Prize) a number of times. In 1983 he entered as a principal member of the Chilean Academy of Language. In 2013 he received Chile's National Prize for Performing and Audiovisual Arts.

Selected works

*''Mansión de lechuzas'' (1957) *''Discípulos del miedo'' (''Disciples of Fear'') (1958) *''Parejas de trapo'' (1959) *''Niñamadre'' (1961) *''El signo de Caín'' (''The Mark of Cain'') (1958, 1969) *''Los invasores'' (''The Invaders'') (1963) *''Flores de papel'' (''Paper Flowers'') (1970) *''Kindergarten'' (1977) *''Espejismos'' (1978) *''Álamos en la azotea'' (1981) *''El sobre Azul'' (''The Blue Envelope'') (1983) *''La balsa de la Medusa'' (1984) *''Háblame de Laura'' (''Speak to Me of Laura'') (1985) *''Invitación a comer'' (''Dinner Invitation'') (1993) *''Cicatrices'' (''Scars'') (1994) *''Claroscuro'' (''Chiaroscuro'') (1995) *''Encrucijada'' (2000) *''Tras una puerta cerrada'' (''Behind a Closed Door'') 2000)

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wolff, Egon 1926 births 2016 deaths Writers from Santiago, Chile Chilean male dramatists and playwrights Chilean people of German descent Chilean people of Swedish descent 20th-century Chilean dramatists and playwrights Pontifical Catholic University of Chile alumni Academic staff of the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile Yale University alumni 20th-century Chilean male writers 21st-century Chilean dramatists and playwrights 21st-century Chilean male writers