Handkerchief of Clouds

Handkerchief of Clouds: A Tragedy in Fifteen Acts (French: Mouchoir de Nuages) is a French-language Dadaist play by Romanian-born author Tristan Tzara.[1] Tzara described it as an "ironic tragedy" or a "tragic farce", composed of 15 short acts, each with an accompanying commentary, with a strong influence from "the serialized novel and the cinema."[2] Its action, he continues, should be staged on a platform in the centre of a box-like room "from which the actors cannot leave"[2] It was first staged on 17 May 1924 at the Théâtre de la Cigale in Paris.[3] The play was Tzara's last Dada production.[4]

Handkerchief of Clouds
Written by	Tristan Tzara
Date premiered	17 May 1924
Place premiered	Théâtre de la Cigale, Paris
Original language	French
Genre	Dada

See also

• The Gas Heart, a Dadaist play by Tzara first performed in 1921.

Notes

1. Robbins (1987) and Melzer (1976, 193-195).
2. Robbins (1987, 137) and Melzer (1976, 193).
3. Robbins (1987, 137).
4. Gordon (1987, 24).

Sources

• Gordon, Mel, ed. 1987. Dada Performance. New York: PAJ Publications. ISBN 1-55554-011-2.
• Melzer, Annabelle. 1976. Dada and Surrealist Performance. PAJ Books ser. Baltimore and London: The Johns Hopkins UP, 1994. ISBN 0-8018-4845-8.
• Richter, Hans. 1997. Dada: Art and Anti-Art. Trans. David Britt. Updated edition. London: Thames & Hudson. ISBN 0-500-20039-4.
• Robbins, Aileen, trans. 1987. A Handkerchief of Clouds: A Tragedy in Fifteen Acts. By Tristan Tzara. In Gordon (1987, 137-161).