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PAJ: A Journal of Performance and Art 29.3 (2007) 61-118

Death Variations
Reviewed by
Jon Fosse
Translated from the Norwegian by Sarah Cameron Sunde

Note on the Translation

Yah = Norwegian "ja" = yes

Yah = American "yeah," only not so nasal, please.

Also, Yah = yep, hmm, ok, so, well, fine, oh, sure, yeah, uh-huh, tsk, ugh . . .

These other words have not been inserted in place of the "yah" because repetition is vital. My goal is to provide an affirmative in English that lives somewhere between "ja" and "yeah" and carries plenty of flexibility with it. It should be simple and not sound foreign. It can be used for emphasis in certain cases, but it should primarily be used as a "filler" where the breath or thought holds for just a second. The "yah" serves to link the characters, while also allowing room for one word to be character specific. In all cases, the "yah" should help, not hinder, telling the story of this theatrical world.

When I began translating Fosse's work, I became very taken with the idea that I was translating contemporary Norwegian theatre into the American idiom. I realized I was wrong. It's not about taking the language into modern-day America and making it colloquial. It's about making Fosse's unique voice come through in the American English language. His is a unique voice in Norwegian, too. And I want that part to work for an American audience.

This translation would not have been possible without invaluable insights and support from the following people: Jon Fosse, Anna Guttormsgaard (co-artistic director, Oslo Elsewhere), Jake Hooker, Marie-Louise Miller (American dramaturg), Oda Radoor (Norwegian dramaturg), and Einar & Cammy Sunde. Additional special thanks to the Oslo Elsewhere producing team, committee, and all the artists who collaborated to make the first production of this translation come alive. [End Page 61]

Characters

The Older Woman
The Older Man
The Young Woman
The Young Man
The Friend
The Daughter
* * *
The Older Woman: (Talking to herself.) As if it were there always
and never
and it can't be understood
and it can never be
abandoned
It is a life
with a different reconciliation
than the one we will see
The Older Man: (Looks at her, wondering.) Will see
The Older Woman: (Goes on as if he's not there.) And it goes back to its openings
Short pause.
but goes on
and on
into a night
revealing
The Older Man: What are you talking about
The Older Woman: (Goes on as if he's not there.) into a night
an illuminating space
where imperfections rule
letting it be understood
that one understands
what it is to understand
The Older Man: (Wondering.) That one understands
The Older Woman: (Looks at him.) Yah that one understands
She moves away from him, looks at him.
It's so awful
I don't understand it
He nods.
That she could
Cuts herself off. [End Page 62]
The Older Man: (Shakes his head resignedly.) No
Short pause.
I don't understand it
The Older Woman: We should have done something
yah long ago
The Older Man: Yah
Pause.
The Older Woman: (Desperately.) We have to do something
The Older Man: There's nothing we can do
The Older Woman: Is it too late
The Older Man: Everything's too late
The Older Woman: Why did she do it
The Older Man: I don't understand it
The Older Woman: Our only daughter
the only
Cuts herself off.
The Older Man: (Goes on.) Our only child
The Older Woman: But it can't be this way
Not possible
Pause.
The Older Man: She followed her death
The Older Woman: Don't say that
She can't be dead
That's not the way it is
Short pause.
The Older Man: She is dead
She is gone
gone forever
The Older Woman: She cannot be gone
Not possible
The Older Man: No
Pause.
The Older Woman: And that she could do it
The Older Man: (Abruptly.) Can...

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