Eugène Ionesco(1909 – 1994)

Romanian Eugen Ionescu

Born - Nov. 26, 1909, Slatina, Rom.

Died - March 28, 1994, Paris, France,

Romanian-born French dramatist whose one-act “antiplay” La Cantatrice chauve (1949; The Bald Soprano) inspired a revolution in dramatic techniques and helped inaugurate the Theatre of the Absurd. Elected to the Académie Française in 1970, Ionesco remains among the most important dramatists of the 20th century. Ionesco was taken to France as an infant but returned to Romania in 1925.

Key facts about the Book :

Full Title - Rhinoceros

Author - Eugène Ionesco

Genre - Absurdist drama/comedy

Language - French

Time and Place Written - Paris, 1959

Date of First Production - Paris, 1960

Publisher - Grove Press

Protagonist- Berenger

Antagonist - The rhinoceroses

One of Eugene Ionesco’s first full-lengthplays, Rhinoceros demonstrates theplaywright’s anxiety about the spread ofinhuman totalitarian tendencies in society.Inspired by Ionesco’s personal experienceswith fascism during World War II, thisabsurdist drama depicts the struggle of oneman to maintain his identity and integrityalone in a world where all others havesuccumbed to the “beauty” of brute forceand violence. Rhinoceros was originallyproduced on January 25, 1960, at the Odéonunder the direction of Jean-Louis Barrault.

For a detailed summary check out -https://www.sparknotes.com/drama/rhinoceros/summary/

A brief plot and context introduction for the play "Rhinoceros" by Eugene Ionesco -https://youtu.be/FKbiPi87w8U

Chabot College Drama Department Play -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XG8zz6y0xFk