Friedrich Dürrenmatt, Ein Engel kommt nach Babylon [An Angel Comes to Babylon]

Roger A. Crockett (Washington and Lee University)
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Friedrich Dürrenmatt’s fifth play and his third comedy, Ein Engel kommt nach Babylon [An Angel Comes to Babylon, 1954], was written in 1952, first published in 1954, and subsequently appeared in revised editions in 1958 and 1980.

God’s grace comes to earth in the form of Kurrubi, a beautiful child, created only minutes before in God’s abode, the Andromeda Galaxy, which dominates the backdrop. The child is a gift to the lowliest human on earth, and it is the assignment of an angel to find the intended recipient, about whom he knows nothing other than that this person must be a beggar. As King Nebuchadnezzar has ordered all beggars to enter state service, there is only one beggar left on earth, the …

1470 words

Citation: Crockett, Roger A.. "Ein Engel kommt nach Babylon". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 10 January 2008 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=19935, accessed 29 March 2024.]

19935 Ein Engel kommt nach Babylon 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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