This month we will be reading a play by a Belgian playwrite, Paul Willems.
My friend Malinda has introduced me to his work, and she writes: Willems, 1912-1997, was born in Edegem, a suburb of Antwerp, on a domain called Missembourg, to a cultured, French-speaking family. His mother, Marie Gevers, was a novelist; and he learned to read from his grandmother, using Telemachus by Fenelon. He studied Maritime Law at the ULB, and after WW II, in 1947 he began to work at the Palais des Beaux Arts in Brussels, where in 1984 he became its Secretary-General. He travelled widely for his work, but was writing novels and plays at the same time. The first staging of one of his plays was in 1949; he wrote regularly throughout his life; The Sailing City won a literary prize in 1966 and was first staged in 1968. His most famous play, It’s Raining in My House, had been written in 1962, and was staged repeatedly thereafter (its first production was in Germany, where he became popular).
The playwright’s original style combined whimsy, fantasy, and word-play; but many of the texts have a darker undercurrent. The sea is frequently evoked, as well as Belgian cities like Antwerp and Ostend, which have seafaring associations.
Indeed, The Sailing City takes place in Antwerp, and I think that this may have been a familiar term for Antwerp, not entirely Willems’ invention.
The play takes place in a brocante shop owned and run by Mr. and Mrs. King, both in their fifties. Mrs. King is however referred to as “Paysage”, because of her skill in selling oil paintings depicting the countryside. Paysage speaks succinctly, often leaving her sentences unfinished. They have an 18-year old daughter, Anne-Marie, who is in love with Dile, aged 25-30. Their shop employee goes by the name of Agreeable.
During the play, three other characters come into the shop: Josty, who has returned to Antwerp after an absence of more than 40 years; Fram, the same age as Josty, who “resembles a defrocked priest”; and Feroe, a florist and former lover to Josty all those years ago.
Although not a live character, an important feature of the play is a shop mannequin, referred to as Fenetre (she has often appeared in the shop window, although she is currently located inside).
The main plot concerns Josty’s decision, prompted by Mr. and Mrs. King, to marry Anne-Marie.
Characters
M. King: 50
Mme King: 50, nicknamed Landscape
Anne-Marie: 18, their daughter
Agreeable: 20-25, M. King's helper
Josty: 58
Fram: Nearing 60
Feroe: 60
Dile: 25-30, Anne-Marie's lover
Paul Willems
