WriteWrite Rewrite: Surrealistic Stories & Sketches, Dramas & Dialogues
The German Institute (Max Mueller Bhavan, aka Goethe Institute) in [then] Bombay [now Mumbai] asked me to conduct workshops for Indian writers in the spring of 1980.
This particular workshop dealt with surreal stories, sketches, dramas, and dialogues. To introduce Indian writers to modern Western writers, I gave each participant excerpts from a wide range of classical and contemporary writers who used surrealism as their mode of expression: Adamov, Beckett, Bichsel, Borchert, Brautigan, Brückner, Coover, Crackenedge, Eliot, Fassbinder, Grass, Handke, Heißenbüttel, Henisch, Hildesheimer, Joyce, Kafka, Laszlo, Mather, Reuben, Sachs, Schnurre, Stein, and Steinbeck.
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Graphic Design by Deepak Manchanda
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The intensive writing workshop started on a Saturday morning with about two dozen writers sitting in a circle with nothing but their writing pads and pens. I then asked the Indian writers to compose a piece inspired by the text in front of them.
The atmosphere throughout the whole weekend was electric—creativity at its best.
The atmosphere throughout the whole weekend was electric—creativity at its best.
My assistant Anup Singh [now a well-known, award winning film director] and I worked with each writer throughout the whole process, ending on Sunday night with a presentation of the works of the workshop participants, who showcased their stories and plays in front of a standing room only crowd at the German Institute.
In the following weeks, Anup and I then put together this 74-page book. During the next few weeks, I intend to publish these fascinating juxtapositions of texts from famous writers with the new works by Indian writers.
Photo above: Henrik Eger with workshop participant
Photo on the left: Anup Singh, assistant and co-facilitator, with workshop participant
In the following weeks, Anup and I then put together this 74-page book. During the next few weeks, I intend to publish these fascinating juxtapositions of texts from famous writers with the new works by Indian writers.
Photo above: Henrik Eger with workshop participant
Photo on the left: Anup Singh, assistant and co-facilitator, with workshop participant
CONTENT
Henrik EGER, "Can one learn creative writing?"
Martin ESSLIN & workshop participants, "Recipes of the Absurd"— A taste of response
1a Jürgen ALBERTS, On my first day of work I received the following instructions
1b Anup SINGH, How to write: Workshop Instructions
2a Arthur ADAMOV, The invasion
2b K.K. VARMA, Sorry, can't!
2c Leo REBELLO, Bombay bus stop
3a Wolfgang BAUER, Shakespeare the sadist
3b Samuel BECKETT, Eh Joe
3c Feruzi ANJIRBAG, The movie
4a Samuel BECKETT, Waiting for Godot
4b Feruzi ANJIRBAG/K.K. VARMA, Who's U?
4c Glynis BARBOSA/A. RADHAKRISHNA, Who am I?
4d Glynis BARBOSA, Let's move!
5a Samuel BECKETT, Not I
5b Deepak MANCHANDA, Waiting
6a Peter BICHSEL, There is no such place as America
6b Arun GHANDI, There is no such place . . .
6b Clifford ANTHONY, . . . as India
7a Peter BICHSEL, A table is a table
7b Helmut HEISSENBÜTTEL, Bad news
7c Deepak MANCHANDA, Mr. Hoppat
8a Wolfgang BORCHERT, The outsider
8b K.K. VARMA, The eternal
8c T. NIRANJANA, The other one
9a Richard BRAUTIGAN, Homage to the San Francisco YMCA
9b Rukmini ARBREO, The art of living
10a Jutta BRÜCKNER, The power of men is the patience of women
10b T. NIRANJANA, A normal day
11a Robert COOVER, The marker
11b Sarabdeep SINGH, Adolescence
12a Edmund CRACKENEDGE, Medd
12b Azar KHAJEPOUR/Sumedha NILAKANTA/Simon SAHU, Another way
12c A. RADHAKRISHNA, Invisible strings
12d Glynis BARBOSA/A. RADHAKRISHNA, Attacking the blind
13a T.S. ELIOT, The love song of J. Alfred Prufrock
13b T.S. ELIOT, The cocktail party
13c Carl LASZLO, Let's eat hair!
13d Pallobee DASGUPTA, Culture vultures
14a R.W. FASSBINDER, Bremen coffee
14b Leo REBELLO, The vote
15a Günter GRASS, The tin drum
15b Nitindra JOBLEKAR, The match
16a Günter GRASS, Flood
16b Günter GRASS, The wicked cocks
16c Nelly SACHS, White serpent
16d T. NIRANJANA, Echoes of the future
17a Peter HANDKE, My foot, my tutor
17b Azar KHAJEPOUR, Your chance
18a Helmut HEISSENBÜTTEL, Wedding reception
18b Vandana JAJODIA, Art objects
19a Peter HENISCH, The small figure of my father
19b James JOYCE, A portrait of the artist as a young man
19c Sarabdeep SINGH, In no hurry
20a Wolfgang HILDESHEIMER, Nightpiece
20b Franz KAFKA, Metamorphosis
20c Archie D'CRUZ, The takeover
21a Anne MATHER, Dark moonless night
21b Anil WANVARI, Before the night broke in
22a Bunny REUBEN, The professional mourners
22b Archie D'CRUZ/Ayesha PRABHU, Rites
23a Wolfdietrich SCHNURRE, One of our most difficult repairs
23b Anup SINGH, How long ias your tongue?
24a Gertrude STEIN, Forget grammar and think about potatoes
24b Veena GOKHALE/Anup SINGH, O.K., let me be frank!
25a Gertrude STEIN, Ralph Church
25b Subha NILAKANTA, Brainworker
26a John STEINBECK, How Mr. Hogan robbed a bank
26b Norbert KRIPP, We, the dead
Samples, and perhaps the whole book, will be published on this site at a future date.
Henrik EGER, "Can one learn creative writing?"
Martin ESSLIN & workshop participants, "Recipes of the Absurd"— A taste of response
1a Jürgen ALBERTS, On my first day of work I received the following instructions
1b Anup SINGH, How to write: Workshop Instructions
2a Arthur ADAMOV, The invasion
2b K.K. VARMA, Sorry, can't!
2c Leo REBELLO, Bombay bus stop
3a Wolfgang BAUER, Shakespeare the sadist
3b Samuel BECKETT, Eh Joe
3c Feruzi ANJIRBAG, The movie
4a Samuel BECKETT, Waiting for Godot
4b Feruzi ANJIRBAG/K.K. VARMA, Who's U?
4c Glynis BARBOSA/A. RADHAKRISHNA, Who am I?
4d Glynis BARBOSA, Let's move!
5a Samuel BECKETT, Not I
5b Deepak MANCHANDA, Waiting
6a Peter BICHSEL, There is no such place as America
6b Arun GHANDI, There is no such place . . .
6b Clifford ANTHONY, . . . as India
7a Peter BICHSEL, A table is a table
7b Helmut HEISSENBÜTTEL, Bad news
7c Deepak MANCHANDA, Mr. Hoppat
8a Wolfgang BORCHERT, The outsider
8b K.K. VARMA, The eternal
8c T. NIRANJANA, The other one
9a Richard BRAUTIGAN, Homage to the San Francisco YMCA
9b Rukmini ARBREO, The art of living
10a Jutta BRÜCKNER, The power of men is the patience of women
10b T. NIRANJANA, A normal day
11a Robert COOVER, The marker
11b Sarabdeep SINGH, Adolescence
12a Edmund CRACKENEDGE, Medd
12b Azar KHAJEPOUR/Sumedha NILAKANTA/Simon SAHU, Another way
12c A. RADHAKRISHNA, Invisible strings
12d Glynis BARBOSA/A. RADHAKRISHNA, Attacking the blind
13a T.S. ELIOT, The love song of J. Alfred Prufrock
13b T.S. ELIOT, The cocktail party
13c Carl LASZLO, Let's eat hair!
13d Pallobee DASGUPTA, Culture vultures
14a R.W. FASSBINDER, Bremen coffee
14b Leo REBELLO, The vote
15a Günter GRASS, The tin drum
15b Nitindra JOBLEKAR, The match
16a Günter GRASS, Flood
16b Günter GRASS, The wicked cocks
16c Nelly SACHS, White serpent
16d T. NIRANJANA, Echoes of the future
17a Peter HANDKE, My foot, my tutor
17b Azar KHAJEPOUR, Your chance
18a Helmut HEISSENBÜTTEL, Wedding reception
18b Vandana JAJODIA, Art objects
19a Peter HENISCH, The small figure of my father
19b James JOYCE, A portrait of the artist as a young man
19c Sarabdeep SINGH, In no hurry
20a Wolfgang HILDESHEIMER, Nightpiece
20b Franz KAFKA, Metamorphosis
20c Archie D'CRUZ, The takeover
21a Anne MATHER, Dark moonless night
21b Anil WANVARI, Before the night broke in
22a Bunny REUBEN, The professional mourners
22b Archie D'CRUZ/Ayesha PRABHU, Rites
23a Wolfdietrich SCHNURRE, One of our most difficult repairs
23b Anup SINGH, How long ias your tongue?
24a Gertrude STEIN, Forget grammar and think about potatoes
24b Veena GOKHALE/Anup SINGH, O.K., let me be frank!
25a Gertrude STEIN, Ralph Church
25b Subha NILAKANTA, Brainworker
26a John STEINBECK, How Mr. Hogan robbed a bank
26b Norbert KRIPP, We, the dead
Samples, and perhaps the whole book, will be published on this site at a future date.
