Beautiful Vida

by Tina Mahkota, Tom Priestly, James Hyett

Beautiful Vida / Lepa Vida is a dramatic poem written by celebrated Slovenian playwright, Ivan Cankar. The play's title is taken from a widely known Slovenian poem which inspired more than 43 literary works; novels, plays, songs; each with a new perspective. Beautiful Vida takes inspiration from the playwright's personal experience as well as classic characters and motifs from Slovenian literature. Written in 1911, Cankar's adaptation of Beautiful Vida is both symbolic and naturalistic. He focuses on themes of longing, loss and departure. The play's style could be compared to the work of August Strinberg and Henrik Ibsen, especially because it is credited as establishing a central female character in Slovene dramatic tradition. Ivan Cankar, playwright, essayist, poet and political activist, is regarded as the greatest writer in the Slovenian language. His work has been compared with the work of Henrik Ibsen, Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, Franz Kafka, and James Joyce. He is considered the father of modern Slovenian theatre and has had a major influence on almost all Slovenian playwrights thereafter. His playwriting opus consists of 7 full length plays, all featuring a large cast, complex themes, and thoughtful depictions of socioeconomic and political nuances within Slovenian society. To this day, Cankar's plays are still among the most popular dramatic works in Slovenian theatres. Cankar's work is culturally specific but carries ideas that transcend place and time. His essays, poems and prose have been translated into more than 10 languages to date