The Tale of a Tiger

Not to be confused with A Tiger's Tale, The Trail of the Tiger, or Tiger Tale.
The Tale of a Tiger
Written byDario Fo
Original languageItalian

The Tale of a Tiger (Italian: La storia della tigre)[1] is a dramatic monologue by Dario Fo. Fo collected material for it during a June 1975 visit to China with his wife Franca Rame and other members of their theatre company, and he toured around Italy with it in 1978.[1][2]

Plot summary

During Mao's Long March across China, a revolutionary soldier is wounded. His comrades leave him behind. Gangrene sets in, and he believes that he is about to die. He drags himself into a cave and falls into a deep sleep. When he awakens, he is confronted by the sight of a tiger and her cub. What follows is a comic narrative about their domestic life together, as the tiger nurses him back to health.[3]

Translations

Ed Emery has carried out an authorised English translation.[4]

Further reading

  • Mitchell, Tony (1999), Dario Fo: People's Court Jester (Updated and Expanded), London: Methuen, ISBN 0-413-73320-3.

References

  1. ^ a b Mitchell 1999, p. 157
  2. ^ Mitchell 1999, pp. 142–143
  3. ^ Tony Mitchell, The People's Court Jester, Methuen Books, London, 1999
  4. ^ English translation: http://www.geocities.ws/dariofoarchive/tiger.html