Karl Markovics - Karl Kraus - Culture.Summer.Semmering

"We have freedom of thought. Now we just need the thoughts." His sharp pen was as feared as it was admired, and his words reveal him as a keen observer and chronicler of his time. Actor and audience favorite Karl Markovics recalls the brilliant satirist with a personal selection of Kraus's texts, whose witty humor made him one of the most important literary figures of old Austria. As the editor of the "Fackel," Kraus consistently took on the powerful, highlighted injustices, and was never shy about engaging in biting verbal duels. Many of his satirical texts have lost none of their relevance and insight. In his socially critical writings and aphorisms, as well as in his monumental drama "The Last Days of Mankind," in which he locates a central scene at Semmering, Kraus bluntly exposes the shortcomings of his contemporaries. Now, Karl Markovics once again leads the audience into the thought world of the humorous accuser and timeless observer – and running headlong into ruin is something people today can still do just as well as they could yesterday.