The Clown (novel)
The Clown (German: Ansichten eines Clowns, lit. "Opinions of a clown") is a 1963 novel by West German writer Heinrich Böll.
Plot
Hans Schnier is the "Clown" of the novel's title. He is twenty-seven years old from a very wealthy family. At the beginning of the story he arrives in Bonn, Germany. As a clown, he had to travel across the country from city to city to perform as an artist. He always sees himself an artist. His home is in Bonn, so he has to stay in hotels when he is not in Bonn. The woman he has been living with, Marie, has left him to marry another man, Zupfner. Therefore Hans has become depressed. He wants to get Marie back from Zupfner, and also has serious financial problems.
He describes himself as a clown with no church affiliation. His parents, devout Protestants, sent him to a Catholic school. He met Marie in school and fell in love with her. Although Marie was a Catholic, she agreed to live with him. They never got legally married, largely because Hans would not agree to sign a paper agreeing to raise his children as Catholics. He did not even want to get a marriage license, because he thought that they were for people who did not go to church. While living together, they never had any children. Marie always stated that even though she was living in sin, she was still a Catholic. Once in high school, Hans saw her holding hands with Zupfner, but she told him that Zupfner was only a friend. Hans brought her along on every trip and took her everywhere he went. After five years, there was a Catholic conference near their hotel in a German city. Marie wanted to breathe some Catholic air and ask Hans to go there. Hans had a performance at the same time. When they arrived late at night, he fell asleep. The next morning, he discovered Marie was gone, but had had left a note. He never saw her again. The note read: “I must take the path that I must take.”
The Clown (short story)
"The Clown" or "The Joker" as it is usually translated in English (orig. German Der Bajazzo), is one of Thomas Mann's short stories which were collected in Little Herr Friedemann and later, after his death, in the collection Death in Venice and other Stories.
It is a satirical story about a man who wastes his whole life idling, but simply lives on the interest of his father's inheritance. When he was alive, his father had often told him that he 'was just a joker and would do nothing.' He views his inactivity initially with optimism, calling it "philosophical loneliness". In the end, he is no longer able to deny his loneliness for what it actually is. This makes itself known in a reunion with an old acquaintance who originally believes that he (the first-person narrator) has "arranged his life so comfortably" and that he is surely "the smarter of the two", but leaves town early upon seeing through his façade. He toys shortly with the idea of suicide but gives the thought up after noting that such an act would be too heroic for a clown. Instead, he laments that his life will continue in the same monotonous manner.
The Clown
The Clown or The Clowns may refer to:
See also
The Clown (2011 film)
The Clown (Portuguese: O Palhaço) is a 2011 Brazilian comedy-drama film. It is the second feature film directed by Selton Mello, who also stars as the protagonist.
The film follows the story of the father and son Benjamin and Valdemar, who work as clowns Pangaré and Puro Sangue, running the country roads together with the Circus Hope troupe. The clown Benjamin, however, is in crisis. He thinks that is not funny anymore.
The film was selected as the Brazilian entry for the Best Foreign Language Oscar at the 85th Academy Awards.
Plot
The film tells the story of Benjamin and Valdemar, father and son known as the clowns Pangaré and Puro Sangue. They make their living traveling the country with Circus Hope, without a fixed address, no neighbors, and no ID.
The drama begins when Pangaré, tired of life on the road, feels that is no longer a funny clown, awakening a lifelong dream of having a place to live and a social security number, proof of residence, and an identity card.
Podcasts:
