RRome, June 12. (askanews) – Saturday 13 June on NOVE in prime time, and streaming on discovery+, Massimo Cacciari talks about “The Last Days of Humanity”, a rereading of Karl Kraus’s 1922 masterpiece in light of the conflictuality of the present.
The monumental pacifist text on the First World War by the Austrian journalist, playwright and satirist comes back to life in a special event that brings out the surprising relevance of Kraus’ thought.
The precariousness of international relations, the corruption of language and the progressive dehumanization of conflicts, all themes dear to Karl Kraus, take on an alarming significance in this unprecedented lectio magistralis by Cacciari. And to enrich it there are the stage readings by Massimo Venturiello and Paola De Crescenzo, as well as animations on the war period.
“The Last Days of Humanity” was a historical drama divided into over 200 scenes, with hundreds of characters: a grotesque parade of narrow-minded officers, cynical journalists, war profiteers and ordinary citizens anesthetized by propaganda.
Cacciari’s story transforms Kraus’ biography and his dramatic text into a very current testimony, which leads us to evaluate the ongoing regression in international relations and the progressive deterioration of supra-state organizations such as the UN. The philosopher’s analysis also contextualises Kraus’ work in a broader critical process, which began in the previous century with the elaborations of Nietzsche, Dostoevsky and the other “prophets of the 19th century”. A fascinating narrative and visual journey, therefore, to better understand the present.
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