Absurdistan

Absurdistan is a term sometimes used to satirically describe a country in which absurdity is the norm, especially in its public authorities and government. The expression was originally used by Eastern bloc dissidents to refer to parts (or all) of the Soviet Union and its satellite states. Today, the term is most often reserved for Russia and states formerly in the Soviet sphere of influence that have retained Soviet-style authoritarian governments, such as Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan or Belarus.

Origins

The first printed use of the word "Absurdistan" was found in the German monthly Politische Studien "... erkennen wir, dass wir uns hier in Absurdistan bewegen." Later, in Czech, the term Absurdistán was used by dissident and later president Václav Havel. This seems to indicate that use of the term began during perestroika. The first recorded printed use of the term in English was in Spectator in an article on August 26, 1989, about Czechoslovakia (Czechoslovakians have taken to calling their country "Absurdistan" because everyday life there has long resembled the "Theatre of the Absurd".) On September 18, 1989, an article in The Nation was called Prague Summer of '89: Journey to Absurdistan. On August 30, 1990, The New York Times used it in an article about the Soviet Union., and a January 18, 1990, Village Voice interview with Havel by Bonnie Sue Stein and Vit Horejs was headlined "The New King of Absurdistan".

Absurdistan (film)

Absurdistan is a 2008 German-French comedy film written and directed by Veit Helmer.

It formed part of the World Cinema Dramatic Competition at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. It was also entered into the 30th Moscow International Film Festival.

Plot

The film is set in a remote and forgotten desert mountain village in the former Soviet Union, and chronicles a standoff between the sexes: the local women decide to withhold sex (a sex strike) until their lazy men fix the pipeline that carries the village’s water supply. Young lovers Aya and Temelko are caught up in the argument and Temelko becomes determined to fix the pipeline so he can be with her.

Cast

Absurdistan (disambiguation)

Absurdistan could refer to: